


Where or When

by Bella_Monoxide



Series: Cruisin' [6]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Flirting, Kissing, Light Dirty Talk with a side of Drawl, M/M, Masturbation, More Blow Jobs, Phone Sex, Temptation, The British Singer George Michael appears in this story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-04-17 13:43:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4668800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_Monoxide/pseuds/Bella_Monoxide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl is on his second to last cruise, and meets some interesting men again. But he sees himself confronted with a few hurdles along the way; besides, a certain hairdresser has gone to his head way more than he would care to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Remember You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [krystal214](https://archiveofourown.org/users/krystal214/gifts).



> A heartfelt Thank You goes out to a lot of fellow writers who helped me to overcome the writing issues I suffered for the past weeks.  
> Among them, in no particular order, are: ArchLucie, demented_queen, ramblesandshambles, redsun, Cereith, and of course my girl pharmtechgirl71.
> 
> Dedicated to krystal214, since we talked about Aaron and Eric's secret bedroom talk a while ago.

Merle and Daryl were on their way to the port again, after they had spent Daryl's days off with each other – and without any drama.

"You haven't heard from Shane or Rick, have ya?" Merle asked to confirm the impression he had gotten over the last couple days, and Daryl nodded. "I texted with Gareth, but not Shane or Rick." He sighed and looked out of the window again.

"Feels weird though," he admitted, and continued with "I hope they don't hate me now."

Merle patted his brother's knee. "Come on, baby brother," he said, trying to cheer him up. "They all love you, remember?" Merle winked at him, and Daryl could not help but laugh.

"That Gareth guy better watch it, with all those men hitting on you, right?" Merle continued, but Daryl sighed.

"What," Merle asked, "you love him? Thinking bout settling down?" It took Daryl a few minutes to think that over. When he was done, he answered very quietly "The thing with Gareth is, I'm not sure he'll ever be the type to 'settle down', even if I were," Daryl gave back, air-quoting the term.

Merle nodded. "Will you think about it though? For my sake, at least?" Merle looked at Daryl as he parked his truck in the lot at the port, and Daryl confirmed that.

"I told you already, Merle. When I get back next time, we'll sit down and talk some more, a'ight?" Daryl got out to get his bags, and Merle followed suit. In an attempt to lighten up the mood, he told Daryl to not forget about asking Tyreese for an autograph, and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Seeing as I got his framed picture in my luggage, I'm unlikely to forget, don't you think?" He asked, and Merle snickered as he pulled Daryl into a hug.

"Take care of yourself, baby brother," he told him and turned around to drive back. But Daryl knew him too well for his own liking, and so he waited for the inevitable punchline to come.

Looking back over his shoulder, Merle delivered it. "Or even better, let others take care a ya," and with that, the older Dixon laughed his ass off as he got into his truck. Daryl shook his head at him, but had to smile nonetheless.

Daryl boarded the ship and went through the usual drill. At staff meeting, he searched for Tyreese to tell him about his brother's request, and Tyreese agreed to sign that picture, even though he told Daryl again that he had not been that great of a player to begin with.

They laughed together when Daryl told Tyreese about his brother's collection of pictures and merch from his favorite team. Tyreese asked Daryl to meet for coffee, and they found that their schedules aligned on their first day, so they agreed to meet after their respective shifts were over.

The next day dawned, and with it came Daryl's first shift at the bar. Arriving there, he found that he would be working with Zach again, and he greeted the younger guy. They talked briefly, and Daryl mentioned that he would be meeting Tyreese after his shift.

As they started their shift up and the first customers arrived, Zach asked if he could join them for coffee later, and Daryl nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile on a different deck, two guys kissed each other with the air of a couple that has been together for a longer time, and both partners know how to please the other.

His hands still at the back of Aaron's neck, red haired Eric pulled away from the kiss and smiled. "You sure you don't want me to mess up your gorgeous hair? You're going swimming anyways," He argued good-naturedly, a mischievous grin on his chisled features.

Aaron looked rather horrified at the suggestion. "You know how much I hate it, Eric," he gave back. "Gawd, it's bad enough that I let it grow a bit longer just because you like it so much."

"Yeah," Eric answered, "but what's the use if you don't let me touch it, then?"

"Little shit," Aaron told him with a wink. They kissed again before they went out of their room to go their separate ways. Eric headed to the weight room for his work out, while Aaron went to the upper deck for some rounds in the pool.

Afterwards he wandered over to the bar to wait for Eric there. He ordered a juice with the young barkeeper, then let his eyes roam while Zach, according to his nametag, prepared his drink.

Aaron noticed another bartender at the other end of the bar, and he sighed quietly when he saw the guy's broad shoulders and narrow waist. Zach placed the drink in front of him, and Aaron thanked him.

He thought that Zach looked amused, but was not sure and he forgot about it soon after anyways, since his colleague picked that moment to turn around and call out for Zach.

Aaron could not help but stare at the man's rough but handsome features, and he was glad that the guy did not look directly his way.

* * *

"Daryl," Zach whispered covertly after he had walked over, "you got yourself a secret admirer. Not bad for your first day back," he winked as he jotted his chin in the direction out of which he had come, and Daryl rolled his eyes at him, thinking that Zach was prone to be exaggregating.

Looking over at said customer though, Daryl gulped visibly, his eyes widening – which did not go unnoticed by Zach, of course. His younger co-worker's snicker pulled Daryl back into the here and now, and he swatted Zach with a dish towel none too gently.

Zach yelped and sprang back, watching Daryl grin. When Daryl tried to cast another secret look over it did fall short though, as he found the customer already stairing at himself. Daryl blushed and cast his eyes down, turning around to try and hide his reaction.

Daryl was confused. He felt the strong urge to flirt with the man, but at the same time did not dare to. The bar got busier, and the next time Daryl was able to cast a look at the curly haired guy again, he was glad that he did not follow through on his yearning.

Sitting next to the man was a fair skinned one with hair in a beautiful shade of red, and Daryl had no doubts whatsoever that they were a couple, even though they did not do anything to display that fact.

While Zach went to take the new guy's order, Daryl sighed in disappointment. He watched his colleague as he thought to himself that he just could not see those two having an open relationship, when he noticed the curly haired man looking his way again.

Daryl nodded curtly at him and turned sideways to busy himself with chores, purposefully not waiting for a reaction.

Aaron got pulled out of his thoughts about Daryl's sexual orientation when Eric tugged at his arm. "Aaron," he exclaimed, "you won't believe who I saw in the gym just now!" Aaron turned around to look at his partner with a bemused expression.

"Well," if I won't be able to guess, why don't you just tell me then?" He gave back.

Zach placed a drink in front of Eric when he blurted "George Michael! He was talking to one of the instructors!" Aaron smiled at Eric's enthusiasm.

"Well," he mused, "at least we know he's on the ship then," and his quip was parried with a playful slap on the wrist by Eric.

"You're always pretending that it's just me who wants to see him live, but I know that you like him just as much!" Aaron grabbed Eric's hand for a moment and squeezed it with affection, then let go again so he would not draw too much attention to them being more than just friends.

Besides, he and Eric had both never been too fond of PDA to begin with, and were glad that they agreed on that when they got together.

Aaron nodded and confirmed "Yeah, you got me there."

Zach chimed in now, asking them a question. "Excuse me, but are you talking about one of the entertainers that will perform on this cruise?"

Eric looked at him. "Are you telling me that you don't know who George Michael is?" He asked Zach incredulously, while Aaron shook his head. "Eric, I think that Zach might be a little too young to know him, don't you?"

"Right," Eric answered, and Zach added "Probably not my kind of music, either." Aaron and Eric nodded in agreement, and Eric tagged on "Your colleague doesn't look like much of a George Michael fan, either, for that matter."

Zach laughed and called over to Daryl at the other end of the bar. "Hey Daryl, what's your ringtone again?"

Daryl, looking only slightly bewildered, answered without missing a beat. "Motörhead, Ace of Spades. Why?"

When both the couple and his co-worker burst out laughing at that, Daryl's display of bewilderment increased visibly, and he walked over to find out what the merriment was all about.

As soon as Daryl had reached them, Zach announced by way of introduction "Daryl, meet Aaron and Eric, who are looking especially forward to a concert on this very ship."

Daryl grinned over his co-worker's antics, then asked the couple "I take it I didn't miss the guys from Motörhead boarding then, did I?" When both Aaron and Eric started laughing again, he added "So who will you two be listening to?"

They told him, and Daryl's expression turned to confused. After a minute of concentrated thinking he asked "That the eighties dude?" Eric put his head on his folded arms on the counter, groaning.

Daryl muttered 'uh-oh' under his breath, while Aaron grinned. "You know, he hates it when George is only recognised for his earlier career," and he winked at Daryl conspiratorially. Trying to avoid yet another blush, Daryl concentrated on soothing his blunder over with Eric.

They talked to each other for a few more minutes, during which Eric explained that George would be playing an unplugged concert. According to the schedule, he would be performing Songs from the Last Century, among others.

Pretty soon though, Zach and Daryl had to start busying themselves with getting the bar ready for the next shift. When Aaron and Eric got up to leave, they called over to them, exchanging goodbyes.

As soon as they had turned around, Daryl looked up to catch a glimpse at their retreating backs, but his gaze was met by Aaron, as he looked back over his shoulder at him with an unreadable expression on his handsome face.

Daryl kept staring long after they had left, and Zach stepped up behind him. "Daryl, what happened?" He joked. "Got caught checking them out, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Daryl who had turned back around by then.

"You're getting way too cocky for my liking again, you know that?" He groused, but Zach smiled at him knowingly and stated "That means I hit the nail on the head, right?" When he mock-batted his lashes at Daryl, the older man shook his head, but could not contain his somewhat guilty grin. 

* * *

After handing over to their colleagues when the shift ended, Daryl and Zach walked to their favorite coffee shop to meet Tyreese and catch up with each other.

The burly man already leant against the counter, talking to Bob. "Oh," he said by way of greeting, "you're bringing extra guests?" He held his hand out for Zach to shake, and Daryl introduced his co-worker.

"Bob here just told me that his shift is over as well," Tyreese announced, and they all decided to grab a table together. Bob offered to prepare everyone's favorite drinks before he would join them, and he turned around to do just that as the others walked over to sit around a table.

Daryl felt intrigued, as he had noticed a spark of interest in Bob's eyes when he looked at Zach. So far, Daryl had assumed that Bob was interested in himself, if he was even interested in men to begin with, but now he realised how far assumptions got anyone.

Shaking his head, he sat down in front of Tyreese, and they waited for Bob. When all four of them were assembled around the table, it became clear pretty quickly that there was something going on between Zach and Bob.

Tyreese and Daryl exchanged confused looks at first, but those quickly changed to amused, and when Zach excused himself and Bob to go to Zach's cabin for a round of GTA, both Tyreese and Daryl found it rather hard to keep straight faces.

As soon as the teenagers had left the café, Daryl and Tyreese shook their heads, laughing about them, but Daryl sobered up pretty quickly again. He turned thoughtful, and Tyreese waited for him to start talking.

When nothing happened, he leaned forward and coaxed "Come on, Daryl. Let me know what's on your mind, huh?"

Daryl's head snapped up, and he shook it to pull himself out of his own mind, back into the present. "I just thought about my days off, 's all." He explained, but Tyreese was not satisfied with that answer.

"There's more to it, right? You know if you wanna talk about it, I'm here," he offered, and Daryl nodded.

"Yeah. Well, my brother talked to me about the garage he's working at. The owner wants to retire, and Merle would like to buy the place." Tyreese nodded to indicate that he could follow so far, then asked "So what's that got to do with you, then?"

Daryl rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. "Well, he can only do that with a certified mechanic, and of course he wants me in."

"Right," Tyreese answered. "So you're going for it, or what? You won't be bartending forever, said so yourself once."

"No, but I love to do it for some time every now and then. My contract with the cruise company only includes one more, then I'm free."

"What's the problem then?" Tyreese asked.

"I dunno, Ty. Don't get me wrong, I like being a mechanic, but owning your own shop? All that responsibility that comes with it?" Daryl shook his head and shuffled his feet. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for that." He mumbled, and Tyreese smiled at him sympathetically.

They talked about Daryl's predicament some more, and Tyreese suggested for the bartender to have a bit more faith in himself and his abilities.

He and Daryl came up with the plan of Daryl trying to find out if he could take some business course at a community college, so he would be better outfitted to tackle the chores that came with owning a garage, especially with the paperwork involved.

Feeling better about the whole idea, Daryl suggested to go to his cabin, so Tyreese could sign that picture for Merle, and they got up and left the cafè, joking about going for video games, with lots of winks and rib-jabbing involved.

They talked some more in Daryl's cabin, with the topic shifting to Gareth soon since his picture was lying on the table. But after a couple of minutes, Tyreese's cell phone rang, and he answered it with an apologetic smile.

Apparently, there was some kind of technical problem, and since Tyreese was on call duty, he had to leave. He pulled Daryl into a bear hug and held him close for a while, trying to reassure him.

Daryl hugged him back, humming in contentment, and when they did part, he thanked Tyreese for being such a good friend.

Tyreese grinned and left, though not without suggesting for them to meet some other time. "To play some video games, you know?" He said, and they exchanged a conspiratory look before he went out the door.

Smiling to himself, Daryl went and sat on the bed, postponing his usual after work shower for a while to fiddle around with his phone.

Thinking that he was too old to kid himself, he gave up pretending that he did not check for messages, but went ahead and sent a text off to Gareth instead of waiting for the hairdresser to text him first. 

* * *

Much later at night on the same day, Eric sighed after he and Aaron had gone to bed together. "Don't get me wrong, Aaron," he murmured, "you know I love you. But that bartender..." He grinned lewdly, and Aaron had to laugh at his partner, who was not usually prone to pull facials like this.

"I take it you like him, then?" He gave back, and Eric smiled.

"Yeah," he admitted, putting his head on Aaron's chest. "Not for real of course, but he's certainly fodder for a fantasy or two."

When Aaron did not reply for a longer time, Eric got worried and looked up to make sure his words had not hurt his partner's feelings.

"I'm sorry, Aaron," he whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you or anything, it's just that he's so, well..." Eric did not know how to finish without getting deeper into his assumed self-made hole, when Aaron finished the sentence for him.

"...hawt?" He drawled on purpose, hinting at Daryl's slight accent, and he tried hard to smile to indicate he was only kidding.

But Eric knew him too well. Gasping, he stated "Oh man. You want to, don't you. Act on the attraction, I mean."

Aaron considered denying, but only for a second since it was not worth it to lie to his partner of many years. So in the end, he only nodded once to indicate that Eric had guessed correctly, then he looked away in shame, his cheeks flamed.

Sitting up and leaning against the headboard, Eric demanded "What happened, Aaron? Let's talk this through, alright?"

Aaron sat up next to Eric. He wanted to come clean, if that even was the right expression to choose, but found that he could not respond right away. It took him several minutes to gather himself, but then he told Eric about his drink at the bar, and how he instantly fell for the hunky bartender.

When he was done, Eric slowly nodded. "I understand," he said. "At least, I think I do. So let me ask you this. Do you still love me, or are you falling for Daryl?"

Aaron sighed. "I don't know if it's that simple, Eric," he told him, and Eric nodded. "But as far as I can tell, it's just a crush. What scares me most about it though..." Aaron drifted off, unsure if he should continue but Eric picked up from him like Aaron had done earlier already.

"...that you want to follow through with it? That what you want?"

Aaron nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we don't have an open relationship, and I don't want one, but Daryl? Oh, shoot. I don't even know what to think here," Aaron buried his face in his hands and moaned in frustration, when he felt Eric's arms wrapping themselves around his upper body.

"Come on, Aaron. Let's try to sleep, ok?" Eric whispered into his ear. "We can talk about it tomorrow some more."

Aaron hugged him back tight and kissed him hard. "I swear you are too good for me, Eric," he told him, and Eric giggled.

"I think if we'd try to do the math on that statement," he whispered, looking deep into Aaron's eyes, "we'd end up with a tie. Don't you?" Aaron could only nod, as Eric leaned forward to continue the kiss, and they both sighed contentedly.


	2. My Baby Just Cares for Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl starts his day off on the wrong foot, but still manages to pull a date. After hours, Aaron and Eric end their evening on a happy note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this took a long time to wrestle into its form, but I am happy with the result. Please let me know if you agree or disagree - and why. Remember, we writers need feedback to write like we need air to breathe.

Daryl was in a bad mood the next day, as his text to Gareth had fallen flat. At first, the hairdresser had not texted back for the longest time, and when he finally did, his words were not exactly what Daryl had hoped for.

Rather miffed, he began his shift, casting a sideglance at Zach, who appeared to be in a totally different mood. When Zach looked at Daryl searchingly for what felt like the umpteenth time, he could not take it anymore and barked harshly at his unsuspecting co-worker. "What?"

Zach looked taken aback for a second, before a sly smile appeared on his face. "Let me guess who didn't get any last night..?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Daryl rolled his eyes, turning around to whipe the counters rather vigorously.

Zach snickered behind him, walked away from Daryl as far as he thought to be at a safe distance, then quipped "I guess that answers that then."

Zach's eyes nearly popped out of his skull in surprise at the speed with which Daryl turned around and walked over, backed Zach into the counter and got right up in his face.

"Listen to me now, I had a rather shitty evening, and my life isn't exactly all peaches right now, so how about you tread a little more carefully, a'ight?" He told Zach, his voice barely a whisper above his breath.

Zach nodded, an almost scared expression on his face, and Daryl stepped back, belatedly realising that they were at the bar, their place of work. He sighed deeply and apologised to Zach, who clapped his shoulder briefly.

"It's cool, Daryl. Totally my fault, too." Zach reassured him. "I shouldn't have teased you like that."

It took a conscious effort on Daryl's part to pull himself back together, and when he had managed he changed the subject, asking Zach how the video games with Bob went, making sure that he put air quotes around the term.

"Oh, we did play for a while," Zach answered, winking at Daryl. "It just wasn't the only thing we did."

Daryl laughed. "Where did the shy, undecided guy who used to work with me go?" He teased, elbowing Zach in the side. His co-worker blushed, and Daryl shook his head at him good-naturedly. He went over to serve their first customers who began to turn up slowly.

Hours into their shift, Zach and Daryl caught a small break and where happy about it. They each took a drink, Zach sticking to some sickly sweet stuff while Daryl had a fresh fruit juice, pulling a face over Zach's choice of drink as usual.

Right when Daryl took the last swig, he saw Zach's eyes widen first, followed by a grin that he quickly tried to hide. Clearly, somebody must have walked up to the bar while Daryl had his back turned, and now his co-worker was having a hard time to keep a straight face.

Daryl had a feeling that he would find either a busty blonde or a hot looking guy sitting on one of the bar stools, and he sighed in resignation. But in the exact moment he turned around to take the person's order, a melodic, male voice with an unmistakable British accent asked for an unleaded coconut kiss.

Daryl descreetly looked the guy over as he prepared the cocktail, noticing the good shape he still appeared to be in, then placed the glass in front of the customer. Thanking him, the guy took off his sunglasses and placed them on the counter, revealing a pair of stunningly hazel coloured eyes, framed by long, dark lashes.

Finding that he suddenly had a tough time breathing, Daryl gazed at his sharp features, expertly accentuated with a precise haircut and an equally well trimmed little beard. Fleetingly thinking about how much Gareth would have swooned over such a finely groomed gentleman, Daryl noticed that he was still looking up into Daryl's own eyes.

Feeling embarrassed over the fact that he had to clear his throat before he felt ready to speak, he blushed just a tiny bit, then asked "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be George Michael?"

Shaken from his own thoughts, the Briton answered "Yes, that'll be me," with a smile. "So," he added after a moment, "how did you know? I don't mean to be rude, but you don't exactly look like you're a fan of that particular musical style..?" George probed a little further, as he casually leaned on the counter.

Daryl smiled as he shook his head and went on to explain how he had gotten notice of the performance. Which was the moment where Daryl messed up his own cover rather thoroughly, as he not only described both Aaron and Eric as good looking, but he even called them a couple.

Since the gay community was still being careful to not out anyone by accident, this was a rather big blunder, and Daryl briefly closed his eyes as George's lit up. Mentally slapping himself, Daryl tried to brace himself as George leaned in closer and asked under his breath "So, does this mean that you are, shall we say, equally open-minded..?"

Nodding reluctantly, Daryl added "Yeah, but I'm usually more closed off about that. Would appreciate it if you didn't spread that around."

George nodded in understanding as he assured Daryl that his lips would be sealed, which was an unfortunate expression to choose, since it steered Daryl's gaze right down to George's perfectly shaped mouth.

His own mouth suddenly too dry, Daryl swallowed when those lips began to move again as George asked him another question.

"So why did you let it slip then, if you don't mind me asking?" He inquired curiously as he looked right into Daryl's eyes, thinking how much they resembled the colour of the ocean surrounding the ship.

Daryl sighed. "I dunno," he drawled, falling back into his native accent. Cursing inwardly at himself, Daryl continued. "I guess my defenses are down since I got a few problems running through my mind."

"Hm," George smiled at him and then his expression morphed into something a little more cunning right afterwards as he asked "I'm sure this happens to you all the time, but I'd like to ask you out."

Daryl stared at him incredulously, searching for words, but the only answer he managed to come up with was "What – like a date?" When George simply nodded, Daryl let out a short laugh. "Right," he stated, "why would you ask me, out of all the people possible?"

George seemed quite unfazed at Daryl's retort. He kept his eyes trained on Daryl as he sipped his drink – through the straw. Daryl's eyes widened as George's tongue darted out to fiddle with the straw before he sucked some juice through it again.

While Daryl was still occupied with gulping at the sight, George explained in a husky voice.

"Because you caught my eye right away, even when you still had your impressive back on me. And now that I know you're into guys as well, I'd really like to find out if I can spark your interest a little further."

They looked at each other for a moment, when Daryl got called over to serve other customers, as the bar had become more crowded again during his flirt with the singer.

Daryl all but whispered "You already did." He cleared his throat again before he added "Don't leave," to which George nodded as Daryl sauntered off.

A while later, Daryl got back for a quick word. He and George agreed on meeting the next evening to go have a drink and see what happened. Shortly afterwards, the singer left, but another visitor turned up before Daryl and Zach's shift was over.

"Hey Daryl," Eric called and waved at him, smiling.

"Oh, hi Eric," the bartender greeted back, "where is Aaron? Or is this your meeting point now, and he will turn up later? How about a drink while you're waiting?"

Daryl started to mix a fresh fruit juice for Eric, then remembered George's visit and exclaimed "Oh, you should've been here earlier! Cause guess who showed up?" Daryl grinned, and Eric looked confused.

"Well, to answer your question, Aaron is getting a haircut, unfortunately. And I thought I use the time to drop by and give this to you," and with those words, he slid a disc over the counter towards Daryl.

The bartender caught it and picked it up as Eric continued "I put a CD with George's music together – nothing from the Wham!-times, of course," he winked, and Daryl grinned.

"So," Eric inquired, looking at Daryl with a curious expression on his chisled features. "Who did I miss?" When Daryl did not answer right away, but looked at Eric with his best poker face, Eric leaned on the counter, tipping one of his long fingers to his chin, thinking.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he burst out "No way! George?" Daryl nodded with a smile, and Eric squealed. "Wow! You must tell me everything!" He sat down on a barstool, put his chin on his folded hands and looked at Daryl expectantly.

Daryl found himself in a tight spot, belatedly realising that Eric might react weirdly if he heard about his date with George Michael. Then he remembered that Eric did not even know about himself prefering guys in the first place, and he began to feel rather uncomfortable.

Eric, sensing Daryl's emotional rollercoaster, politely suggested for them to meet over coffee and talk a bit, if Daryl were so inclined, and the bartender agreed to meet him later that day.

After Eric had finished his drink and left, Zach walked over, a concerned look on his face. He apologised again for his behaviour earlier, then suggested to go for coffee and talk, but Daryl shook his head. "Thanks for offering, Zach, but I just agreed to meet Eric later."

Zach whistled under his breath, then leaned forward and asked "So you like them both, huh? Cause from what I've seen yesterday, I thought for sure you'd be going for the other one."

Daryl rolled his eyes and replied "It's not a date, a'ight? Geez. Can't meet a guy anymore without you reading stuff into it."

Zach was not fooled for a minute though, and he snickered at Daryl's answer. His older co-worker sighed in desperation, and he was just about to give him a – no doubt snarky – retort, when Zach held up both hands in an appeasing manner.

"Don't bite my head off again, once per shift is enough, right?" Daryl laughed, and Zach winked at him. "Keep your secrets to yourself," he advised Daryl, "but don't forget to tell me all about them afterwards!" Zach winked, and Daryl shook his head, still smiling.

When their shift was over, Daryl went to his room asap, as he was in desperate need for some alone time by then.

* * *

 Feeling slightly better after a quick nap and a shower, Daryl decided to admit his blunder with George to Eric.

When he walked into the coffee bar, Bob smiled at him from behind the counter, then went to prepare Daryl's preferred drink for him while the bartender walked over to where Eric was sitting, an ice cafe in front of him.

Eric, being his usual bundle of energy, could hardly contain himself, and as soon as they had exchanged the bare minimum of socially required pleasantries, he looked at Daryl expectantly. "So," he exclaimed, "How did it go? Did you get a chance to talk to George?"

"Yeah," Daryl confirmed. "As a matter of fact, he talked to me first." He chuckled when Eric's eyes widened, getting a kick out of the guy's reaction.

Then he remembered his decision to come clean, and the smile died on his lips. Plucking up his courage, Daryl looked Eric in the eye and opened his mouth to talk, when he saw Eric wave at somebody behind Daryl's back.

Apparently, a person known to Eric had just entered the bar as well. "Aaron," Eric called out, and Daryl froze, shocked to find that both people he outed by accident would be present when he admitted his error.

"Come sit with us. Daryl was just going to tell me all about meeting George Michael at the bar today!" The red haired guy continued, and, after ordering a drink with Bob, Aaron walked over and sat down at their table.

He greeted Daryl, who answered weakly, and Aaron announced "The concert is three nights from today. Are you going as well?" Daryl thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope, can't. I'm working that night."

Eric looked at him sympathetically. "That's too bad. I wish you could've made it." He smiled broadly then, and continued "I'm so excited to see him live!"

Aaron squeezed Eric's knee very briefly and chuckled. "You are so cute when you get excited like this," he told him, and they looked into each other's eyes. Daryl cleared his throat, anxious to get his story out by then.

"About that," he began, looking between Aaron and Eric, "I'm afraid I accidentally outed you two, and I'm sorry. My only excuse is that I got a lot on my mind recently, but of course that kind of thing is inexcuseable anyways."

Daryl cast his eyes down, but looked up again when Aaron spoke. "Out us? As in, me and Eric are a couple?" When Daryl nodded, Aaron tagged on "To who?"

But Eric had already guessed and blurted "George? He knows?" As Daryl nodded a second time, Eric's eyes glazed over with a dreamlike haze, and he leaned back in his chair, while Aaron's expression turned comical.

"Well," he said, "I can't say I mind at all, especially since it's another gay person. But how did you know in the first place? I mean, it's not like we kiss in public for all the world to know..."

Daryl had watched Aaron as he talked, and now he had to pull himself out of his own thoughts to be able to answer. He cleared his throat and admitted quietly. "Let's just say I have a gaydar as well..."

Eric started to giggle, but Aaron's expression was a sight to behold. Minutes later, Aaron spoke again. "You know," he told Daryl thoughtfully, "I wondered about you, but could'nt decide if you are one of us or not."

Eric looked at Aaron then, and a silent conversation that Daryl could not follow took place between the partners. In the end, they both nodded at each other, then Aaron turned towards Daryl again.

"Part of the reason why I couldn't decide if you are gay as well was that I felt instantly attracted to you, and I couldn't decide if that had clouded my judgement." He admitted, speaking only loud enough for Daryl to hear.

Finishing his admission, Aaron blushed ever so slightly, while Daryl gaped at him. The bartender looked over at Eric and shook his head.

"Did you two just decide to let me know about this?" He asked, dumbfounded, and Eric nodded.

"Look, Daryl," he stated, "seeing as you are so closed off about your own sexuality, I find it hard to believe that you would accidentally out anyone. How did that happen?"

Daryl closed his eyes briefly. He shook himself mentally and said "Like I said, I been having too much to think about." He went on to tell them about his brother and the possibility to have his own garage, then threw in his troubles with Gareth for good measure.

He thought that he might as well tell them, and not just because he felt like he owed them this much, though his other reason was a selfish one.

Because in a way, Daryl felt lucky to have the opportunity to talk to other gay men about his situation, and they might even have some advice for him on the matter, because clearly, he had reached his wits end by then.

They talked that over for quite some time, and Aaron added some good tips for Daryl how to go about getting one's own business started, all the while Aaron and Daryl kept casting badly disguised glances at each other.

Eric appeared to be rather amused at their attraction towards one another, and at some point, Daryl asked him if they had an open relationship, which they both denied. Confused, Daryl kept looking at Eric, waiting for some kind of explanation for his continued amusement, but got none.

Instead, Eric looked over at Aaron and asked "I feel like we know this Gareth person, don't you? From that bar in Atlanta?" Aaron nodded. "Yeah, now that you've mentioned it, I think so, too."

He turned to look at Daryl. "Excuse me for saying this, Daryl, but if we are talking about the same guy – isn't he rather, um, how can I put this..?"

Aaron looked lost for a second, the desire not to hurt Daryl's feelings clearly visible on his face, when Daryl nodded and continued his sentence.

"Slutty? Yeah, he is." Chuckling at Aaron's scandalised expression, he added "But so am I. We agreed on seeing other people as well until we meet again on the next cruise, provided we both stick to the safety rules."

Daryl leaned forward and continued. "In fact, I already got a date for tomorrow."

Aaron, appearing somewhat jealous now, only lifted one eyebrow in a silent question, but Eric let out an audible gasp. "Wait a minute," he blurted, "are you trying to say that you got a date with..?" Incapable to continue, Eric waited for Daryl to answer, barely managing to stay seated.

Daryl, an amused expression on his face now, turned to Aaron. "Is he always this excited?" He asked, and Aaron could not help but smile as he answered. "Yep. He is just too cute."

He grabbed Eric's hand and pulled him into a hug, whispering into his ear. "Don't get mad, k? I really think it's cute, you know that." Eric nodded against his shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment.

Daryl met Bob's eyes as he looked over the embracing couple, and the barista smiled at him knowingly, then winked. Daryl shook his head, bemused, and looked back at Aaron and Eric, only to find them looking right back at himself.

He nodded and revealed that he did indeed have a date with George Michael. Aaron told him way to go, even though he still looked envious, while Eric was simply awed.

They talked some more, and Daryl told them how he had thought about Gareth when he noticed George's hair and beard, which made both Aaron and Eric laugh.

They parted on good terms, with Daryl wishing them a great concert experience, while they could not seem to help but quip about his date the next evening, but it was all in good fun.

* * *

 When Daryl arrived back at his cabin, he turned off his cell phone and put Gareth's picture away for the time being, not wanting for his good mood to evaporate over anything the hairdresser might text him.

Or, he thought to himself, to avoid noticing that he did not text at all, too busy fucking around. Then he sighed big time, as he realised that he had been doing the exact same thing, so he was the last person able to point fingers.

Not feeling like going to bed already, he changed clothes and went out again to grab a bite to eat. He ended up at the casino on board, playing poker for a while.

* * *

 At a later hour, on a different deck, Aaron and Eric arrived back at their cabin after having had dinner at one of the many restaurants on the ship. The couple stepped out of their respective shoes and both used the bathroom, getting ready for bed.

When it was Aaron's turn, he suddenly began to laugh, and Eric popped his head inside the slightly ajar door to inquire about the reason that had prompted his partner to spew toothpaste all over the place.

Aaron tried to communicate around the foam, but it was no use. After he had spit it all out and rinsed his mouth, he explained his sudden outburst to an amused Eric, who stood leaning in the doorframe.

"You know, it just occured to me how funny it was for Daryl to talk about George Michael's accent like he did."

Eric looked at him for a second, then answered in a stunning imitation of Daryl's drawl. "You mean because he's got such a strong, Southern accent himself, which he is trying to hide?"

Pretending to think for a moment,Eric continued "He appears to be falling back into it when he is nervous, though, don't you agree?"

Aaron's reaction was a little different from what Eric had expected it to be though. After a chuckle when Eric first started to talk like that, his partner's big eyes got even wider, and his Adam's apple visibly bobbed as he swallowed.

He grabbed ahold of the sink to steady himself as he whispered "You know, you got a serious talent there, Eric. I swear, you should be an actor or something..."

Eric, deciding on the spot that he would use the situation to his and, in the long run, also Aaron's advantage, moved into his partner's personal space and leaned forward to whisper into his ear.

"You mean, I nailed his accent pretty well?" He asked, then began to lick and bite at Aaron's ear, which caused him to moan in pleasure with his eyes closed. Nodding almost imperceptibly, he wrapped Eric up into his arms, urging him on.

"Don't stop now, Eric," he whispered, and Eric smiled to himself for a split second before he continued to seduce his partner. Because they had been together for a couple of years, they knew exactly what to do to turn the other on.

And since the sexual tension between them had grown over the course of the evening, ignited not least by the recurring topic of a certain hot looking hunk of a bartender, the time was ripe for a fumble that started in the bathroom, and would most certainly end between the sheets.

Several minutes of panting into each other's mouths and ears, Eric started to pull at Aaron's hand to try and get him to move out of the rather small bathroom, but they only made it as far as the doorframe.

Aaron pushed Eric against it, using his entire body to press up against him, and kissed him hungrily. Eric's eyes rolled up into his skull, his body went limp, and his breathing got even more laboured as he tried to keep up with Aaron's relentless pace.

In between kisses, Eric drawled in a throaty whisper "So, you're going to take me right here..?"

Aaron's head snapped up from where he had been peppering Eric's neck with kisses. He stepped back and asked "Are you sure it's a good idea to stick to that accent while we are making love..?"

Eric pulled Aaron back into a tight embrace and answered in his own voice. "Why not, Aaron?" He sighed when Aaron looked at him disbelievingly.

"Look," Eric went on to elaborate, "we talked about your attraction to him over dinner. And it's rather unlikely for you to confuse me with him, since, aside from the accent, I don't have much in common with him. I mean, look at me. Red hair, freckles? Amber coloured eyes?"

A moment later, he added another point to his reasoning. "And even with working out, I will never have such broad shoulders."

Aaron thought about that for a minute. "For the record," he began to answer, "your eyes are the colour of cognac rather than amber, and I think they are mesmerising. So yeah, you're right, Eric. But..."

Here, Eric turned around and switched their positions so that Aaron was pressed to the doorframe, and whispered into his ear. "No 'but' anymore, a'ight? Man, you make it hard for me to seduce you tonight."

He chuckled before he continued. "No but except for your butt, agreed?" And he smiled when Aaron could not help but laugh at that.

Eric moved his hands down to grab Aaron's butt and began to massage it, then, as Aaron started to grind his growing erection against Eric's, he started to undress his partner, beginning with his shirt.

Aaron soon followed his example, marvelling over Eric's built after he got him out of his own shirt.

"Step outta your pants for me, sugar?" Eric drawled into Aaron's ear, and a visible shiver ran down his lover's spine.

Stepping away from both the doorframe and Eric only long enough to open his pants, Aaron let them slide down his legs and stepped out of them. But before he could move towards Eric again, his partner bent forward to rid Aaron of his underwear as well.

Eric, turned on by the sight of his hot partner stripping for him, made short work of his own remaining clothes, and as soon as they were both naked, he pulled Aaron back, flush with his own body, and continued to kiss him passionately.

They never made it over to the bed, as they were both way too worked up by then, and Eric grabbed both their pulsating lenghts to jerk them together, while they touched and kissed every inch of the other's body.

When Eric felt like Aaron would soon shoot his load between their sweaty bodies, he let go and moved away from his partner, which caused Aaron to whimper. Leaning back in, Eric pressed his index finger to Aaron's full lips and made a soothing noise.

"Don't whine, love," he drawled in yet another perfect imitation of Daryl's accent, "I'm gonna make you feel real good, I promise." And with that, he bent down to take Aaron's cock into his mouth, bobbing his head up and down in alteration with twirls of his tongue around the swollen head.

Aaron could barely stay upright, his hands entwined in Eric's beautiful hair. He moaned louder, all control long gone, and when Eric let go of his cock to whisper in a low drawl "Come for me, Aaron, let me swallow your load," Aaron lost it.

His head fell back into his neck as he growled in pure ecstasy, shooting his load right down Eric's throat, and his partner kept on blowing him until he was utterly satisfied.

Then, and only then, did he begin to realise that not only had Eric swallowed indeed, and greedily at that, but had jerked his own cock while he was at it, too. Now, he stood up in one smooth move, and leant against Aaron, never ceasing his frenetic jacking.

His eyes closed, Eric's face was one of pure concentration, only one goal in mind by then. But by no means did Aaron plan on just watching from the sidelines, and so he pried his partner's hand away to replace it with his own.

Wrapped up in each other's arms, Eric moaned as Aaron worked his magic, twisting his wrist just right every time he moved to the head of Eric's cock, and soon enough, his partner lost all control as his cock spurted cum between their chests.

Panting, the couple sank to the floor together, still wrapped around each other. Minutes later, when they had somewhat regained their breath, Eric went into the bathroom for a washcloth that he wetted with warm water.

Returning, he cleaned first Aaron, then himself off the worst splotches, then threw the cloth into the shower basin. He reached a hand out to Aaron, who accepted it, and got pulled up and into Eric's arms.

A loving kiss was exchanged, and Eric looked deep into Aaron's eyes as he drawled "I know you like that bartender a lot, but I gotta feeling that you will stay with me, dontcha?"

They both burst into laughter at that, and Eric pulled Aaron towards the bed, where he half sank and half got pulled between the sheets. With their arms around each other, soon they both fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Fast Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl starts his day in a good mood and meets George in the evening for a hot date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited to post this chapter, since George's appearance in this story is my own idea. Please let me know how you liked it!

As the next day dawned, Daryl was in his bathroom, getting ready for his shift. Unusual about the whole scenario was the fact that he whistled and sang along while his phone played the few songs he had on there.

He could hardly be called a morning person on any other day, but something had happened during the evening that had changed his mood around.

He felt like nothing could possibly bring him down, since his stint at the casino the night before had left him significantly richer then, well, ever, really. Of course, there had been trouble as soon as it had been discovered that Daryl belonged to the staff.

But he explained to the casino manager that it was never mentioned at the many staff meetings he had attended so far that it was not allowed for personnel to play the tables. Daryl did not yield. His persistence had paid off, and quite literally so.

In the end, they had let him continue to play, with restriction for one evening only. But that was all it took Daryl, and he hummed along to a Motörhead song as he thought back to the discussion in the casino.

The manager had made the mistake to start talking while still on the premises, so some of the regular players, all of them guests on the cruise, had chimed in, since they liked the challenge Daryl had posed to them.

The fact that they brought a lot of money to the table had weighed in on the manager's decision to let Daryl stay to play – and keep all his winnings, too.

Feeling a lot better about the opportunity to buy Merle's boss out and have their own business, now that he had made a substantial amount of money, Daryl tried to imagine the kind of face his older brother would pull when he told him what his poker skills had earned him.

Laughing, Daryl thought that Merle would most likely say that the money belonged to him as well, since the older Dixon brother always claimed that he had taught Daryl how to play in the first place.

Adding to Daryl's good mood were the text messages he had gotten once he had switched his phone back on after he decided to listen to his music. Weird, Daryl thought as he put his shirt on, no texts from anyone for days and then, boom, they all write at once.

He shook his head, grinning from ear to ear as he thought about how cute Rick had sounded, asking him for advice in a rather vague way, whereas Shane had sounded definitively desperate, pleading with Daryl to meet with him over his next days on shore leave, since he had reached his wits end where Rick was concerned.

Daryl felt curious to find out what had, or, as it seemed, had not, happend between the two cops, and he made a mental note to get into contact with each of them when he was back home.

But Gareth had topped them all, sending him a sext complete with pictures that had lead to a rather hot shower for Daryl. Now, all spruced up for the day, he left his cabin to go to work.

* * *

Hours later, he and Zach caught a small break and stepped aside for a moment to talk. Zach had initiated this as soon as he heard that Daryl had a date with George Michael that evening, and now Daryl's curiosity was piqued.

They left a co-worker to tend the bar and went to a more secluded area, off the bar a ways.

Daryl, suspecting that Zach did not want to risk being overheard, was just about to ask his younger colleague what was on his mind, when Zach got very close to him and whispered, sounding almost conspiratorially "Daryl?"

Flabbergasted, Daryl stared at Zach, only managing a nod for an answer.

"Be careful with that guy, alright?" Zach continued in a pleading tone. "From what I hear he is not the, um, faithful type. Sides," he added shuddering, "he's into that cruisin' stuff gays are supposedly doing. And if that's true..." Zach closed his eyes briefly, pulling a face, then tagged on an "Ew."

Daryl, who had listened to him with hightening amusement, could not hold it in any longer, but burst out laughing. Of course, Zach looked offended at that, and stepped back, pouting.

Daryl felt like an ass and crossed what little distance Zach had put between them, closing into Zach's personal space. When he saw his younger colleague's eyes widen at that, he wrapped his arms around him on impulse, pulling Zach into a hug.

"Don't get me wrong," he whispered into his ear, "I appreciate your being concerned."

Zach turned around in Daryl's embrace to be able to look him in the eyes – where he got promptly lost. "I..." he began, but had to clear his throat then, a moment that Daryl used to his advantage, as he leaned closer, dipped his head to the side, and whispered "Wanna 'nother kiss, huh?" under his breath.

He saw Zach's pupils turn dark with arousal right before he closed his own eyes and kissed Zach softly on the lips. It took the young man a moment to process the situation, but once he caught up he kissed him right back.

Daryl slowly licked Zach's lips, but pulled a face right afterwards. "Why you gotta drink them godawful sweet drinks is beyond me." He shook his head just a fraction, then continued to deepen the kiss, holding Zach even closer.

When they both pulled back for air, Zach looked at Daryl in awe. "you know, it's no wonder all those guys are fawning over you."

Daryl chuckled, pulled away a bit and voiced a thought that had just occurred to him. "Speaking of guys though – you got something going on with Bob? I mean..."

Zach shook his head. "It's nothing steady."

"Well," Daryl answered, "good. But it's probably best if we keep this quiet, right?"

Zach nodded reluctantly. They stood together for a minute longer before the teenager questioned him about George Michael again. But Daryl assured Zach that he would be careful. "Sides," he said, unconsciously slipping into his natural drawl again, "you do remember Gareth, right..?"

Zach nodded, smiling, as Daryl had blushed when he thought about the hairdresser. Leaning in, Zach whispered into Daryl's ear. "You know, it's just real cute when you blush..."

He pulled away far enough for Daryl to be able to see his face before he wiggled his eyebrows at his older co-worker – who promptly blushed even more.

"I just wish people would stop telling me that," he grumbled under his breath, looking miffed. But Zach just laughed.

Wanna bet that George Michael will tell you that right this evening as well?"

Daryl, in the process of walking back to the bar, slapped Zach's ass, making him yelp. "Nope," he gave back, "no betting. Or else you're gonna bet me out of my winnings from last night..."

Needless to say, Zach wanted to know everything about that then, and they ended up sitting in the coffee bar after their shift was over, talking for a long time, eventually joined by Bob, whose shift was over as well, and Tyreese, who happened to stop by for coffee before his shift began.

* * *

When the evening drew nearer, Daryl spent some time trying to decide on what to wear. He had an inkling that George Michael was a classy guy and would want to go to one of the more fancy places around the ship.

In the end, he decided on a combination of his suit pants with a short sleeved grey shirt, no tie and dress shoes. Satisfied with his look after he had given his beard a trim, he went outside and to their meeting point.

Daryl was early, but so was George, arriving only minutes afterwards, smiling at him in a dazzling way. "Daryl," he exclaimed, leaning in, "So good to see you," and with that he kissed an astonished Daryl on both cheeks.

And before the bartender could recover from suddenly being so close to the well groomed singer, engulfed in a cloud of – no doubt expensive – perfume, George whispered into his ear. "You look good enough to eat, you know that?"

Next thing he knew, Daryl stood a normal distance away again, gaping at George, whose flirting skills had totally caught him off guard. The singer suggested a bar for them to go to, and after a nod from Daryl, they walked side by side towards their destination.

George held the door for Daryl, and as the bartender slipped past him, wondering why he was being so courteous in the first place, George subtly brushed his fingers along Daryl's arm, causing goosebumps along the way.

Shivering, Daryl had a second to decide that two could play that game, before he spotted two guys in a corner, gawking at him and his handsome companion.

"You mind if I introduce you to the couple I mentioned yesterday?" He asked, and George agreed, motioning for him to lead the way. When they arrived at the table, both Aaron and Eric had gotten up to greet them, and Daryl introduced them to George.

They confirmed that they were going to the concert when George said that Daryl had mentioned that to him. "Well," the singer stated when he and Daryl were about to grab a table, "it was great to meet you. I'll keep an eye out for you at the concert."

Daryl and George had placed their orders, and as soon as the waitress had left, the singer leaned closer to Daryl. "You're right," he told him quietly, "they are both good looking." He cast another look at Aaron and Eric, smiling when he found the guy with the titian red hair already looking at him.

"Cute couple, too. Do you recon they have an open relationship?" He added, doubt audible in his voice.

Daryl shook his head. "Nope, they don't. Asked them about that yesterday," he drawled absentmindedly, and George leaned close enough to whisper into his ear. "Love your drawl, it sounds too sexy to be allowed."

Afterwards Daryl could not decide if he had really felt George's tongue darting out to lick his ear for the fraction of a second, or if he had imagined it. Sly dog, he thought to himself, as he shivered from the sensation.

But if you want to play like that, no problem, he remembered his resolution from minutes ago, and leaned just a tad bit closer towards the singer, making sure that his fingers brushed along George's leg on their way up to the tabletop, where they played innocently with the salt shaker.

Their drinks arrived, and they clinked glasses, drinking to a great evening with each other. George cast a hot look over the rim of his glass at Daryl, who tried hard to keep his cool.

They began to talk about music, and a few minutes into that, Daryl decided that it was time for payback, as he gave George's hand a quick squeeze. At the same time, he sent an equally hot look over, and George visibly gulped.

Before Daryl could pull away though, the singer had intertwined their fingers and held Daryl's hand under the table.

"I told you that you caught my attention right away, hm?" He asked the bartender, who nodded, holding George's gaze. But when you looked at me for the first time, man..." the singer continued, and Daryl cut in.

"You had the same effect on me," he stated, and George smiled another dazzling one. They held hands for a moment longer, then let go in an attempt to avoid being too obvious.

Remembering his talk with Zach, Daryl decided to throw some hard questions at George. "You gotta boyfriend at the moment?" He asked, and the singer shook his head. But before he could respond to the question audibly, Daryl continued. "Would you tell me if you did?"

George turned around in his seat towards Daryl. "Would it really bother you?" He gave back, and took another sip from his drink. "Are we on the same page here, Daryl," he asked the bartender. "You're not looking for a relationship, are you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Just don't wanna step on any toes, ya know?" He drawled, with his mind elsewhere. His unresolved situation where Gareth was concerned had bounced back into his mind, and George picked up on that.

He asked Daryl what he had been thinking about, and they ended up talking about relationships for a while. George admitted that he was not exactly the constant kind of guy, and Daryl chuckled.

"Yeah," he gave back, "that's what I heard. Gotta concerned co-worker who took me aside today to talk."

"Oh dear," George chuckled, "you got warned, huh?" He looked around to make sure they were not being watched, leaned in close again and carefully bit into Daryl's ear, then soothed the bite over with his clever tongue.

Daryl closed his eyes for a second, his breathing a bit laboured. "I guess your co-worker was right, then," the singer whispered into Daryl's ear, and the bartender turned his head around so quickly he narrowly avoided a collision with George's nose.

"I guess," he whispered back right before he kissed George full on the lips. Caught by surprise, it took the singer a second to react, but then he responded enthusiastically.

A few tables over, Eric, watching transfixed, jabbed his elbow into Aaron's ribs to get him to look over as well, and both men gawked at Daryl and George with their breath held.

Long after Daryl and the singer had parted lips again, Aaron and Eric where still covertly casting glances over at him and George, until Aaron leaned over and whispered "I don't know about you, Eric, but that was the hottest thing I've seen in a while."

Eric nodded fervently and answered "Yeah, I totally agree. Like a porn, in a way..." His eyes clouded over, and Aaron chuckled.

"How about you and I take this discussion back to our cabin..?" He suggested, and Eric laughed.

They paid their bill and went out of the bar, but not without waving goodbye at Daryl and George, who waved right back, wishing them a good night, to which Aaron smiled rather suggestively, causing Eric to blush next to him.

When they had left, George looked at Daryl and observed "That was a cute blush, don't you think?" When Daryl nodded, wondering where George was headed with that, the singer continued "But I like yours way better."

Daryl burst out laughing, which caused George to look rather puzzled as he waited for an explanation. When Daryl felt able to talk again, he told George about the bet he avoided, and the singer joined in on his laughter.

They were each nursing a second drink, sitting in companionable silence, when Daryl remembered the other thing Zach had mentioned, and he cast his eyes down in embarrassment. He looked up again when he felt two fingers lifting his chin.

George's stunning eyes burned directly into Daryl's blue ones, and the singer voiced quietly "There it was again, that cute blush." He sighed before he continued, as Daryl blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"Don't get me started about the way you're looking at me right now, what with those pacific blue eyes of yours..." Both men were unable to break eye contact, until they remembered that they were still in public.

Leaning back in his chair again, the singer inquired what had brought this latest blush on, and Daryl explained. "Apparently, somebody has told Zach that you are into, and I quote, that cruisin' stuff gays are supposedly doing, and that seemed to throw him off for some reason..."

The bartender took a sip from his drink before he turned around to face a gaping George and asked him innocently "Well. Are you?" He winked, and the singer closed his eyes as he shook his head. "You're a flirty little shit if you want to, huh?" George teased, and Daryl grinned.

"Couldn't resist that one," he gave back, and they laughed together. The singer sobered up quickly though, and he admitted that is was true, he liked to cruise every once in a while. "But I get tested regularly."

Daryl nodded. "Me too, and I never do it without rubbers," he added, and George grinned. "What?" Daryl enquired, and the singer mumbled "Oh nothing, just that touch of drawl again, making me feel all kinds of weird..."

The bartender leaned over and whispered into George's ear. "How about we take this someplace else then, so I can try them kinds first hand..?" Leaning involuntarily closer towards Daryl, the singer moaned under his breath, nodding.

George signaled their waitress to bring the bill, while he let his other hand wander along Daryl's thigh under the table, making the bartender squirm in his seat.

The bill was delivered, George paid, and they were up and out of the bar before anyone could have said "Wham! Bam. Thank you, ma'am".

As soon as they were out of the door, Daryl made for George to follow him to a corner with less light, his purpose being to ask the singer a modified version of a standard – your cabin or mine – when he got pulled into said corner by his still more than forward date.

George's mouth was on him the moment he had Daryl pinned to the wall with his own body, and Daryl could not help but moan as he kissed him back just as hungrily. He let his hands wander all over George's body, whereas the singer held on to Daryl's arms for dear life.

At some point during their heated make out, Daryl had a second of clarity, realising that they were still very much out in public, and he stopped George just as he was about to open Daryl's fly.

Looking up at Daryl from his somewhat bent position, the singer full on pouted, and Daryl had the hardest time to stick to his decision. "George," he whispered urgently, "don't."

George stood up and pulled Daryl into a tight hug before he murmured into his ear "But why?" He began to nip at Daryl's ear again, and between small bites he continued. "I so want to suck you off right here..."

"Yeah, I noticed," Daryl gave back, sounding amused, "but I'd like to keep my job, you know..?"

The singer looked Daryl in the eyes, horrified. "Bloody hell," he muttered, "I'm sorry, Daryl, totally forgot about that."

Shrugging his shoulders, the bartender gave back "That's ok, it's not like I wouldn't want to get down and dirty right here. But I really meant to ask you which cabin we're headed to?"

"Well," George stated matter of factly, "mine is most likely a little more comfortable than yours, huh?" When Daryl snorted, the singer laughed and said "Come on, then."

And with that, he tugged on Daryl's hand to get him going, as George led the way towards his abode on the ship. When they finally arrived there, Daryl felt a little dizzy, wondering about just how many dark corners a ship could possibly have, while George busied himself with opening the door.

They tumbled into the room, and Daryl did not have a second to take in the interior, or even think about spinning his thought about all the dark corners they had hit on their way to George's cabin any further, as the singer immediately pinned him to the wall right next to the door, claiming his mouth again in a hungry kiss.

"You think we'll ever make it to your bed..?" The bartender mumbled under his breath in between kisses, and George laughed, albeit a bit breathless.

"Are you so fond of doing it in a bed?" He asked right back, and Daryl snorted.

"So you're actually meaning it, the lyrics of that song, what's it called again..." The bartender mused, and George, pretending to be hurt by Daryl's grabble for the song's name, whispered close to his ear "Outside. Yeah, I mean it."

Daryl groaned when George followed that statement up with a series of small bites along his neck, down to his protruding collarbone. Licking along, George used his hand to open more buttons of Daryl's shirt, scraping his nails over the skin as he revealed it, and the bartender held on to him.

The next thing he knew, Daryl found himself shirtless, with the singer groping all over his chest, shoulders and arms, moaning Daryl's name under his breath.

The bartender had to almost push him away in order to be able to step out of his shoes, but when he did, George used the time to do the same. When he felt Daryl's eyes on himself the next time, George got rid of his own shirt.

He noticed how Daryl's eyes lit up when he let them wander over his body as he pulled his shirt off, and he sent a searing hot look his way as he opened his arms for Daryl to step into. The bartender pulled their chests flush with each other and kissed George's neck.

"Not bad, for a guy your age..." He teased under his breath, and George laughed good naturedly. The singer grabbed Daryl's hair at the back of his head, pulled, and looked him dead in the eyes when he responded. "You'll pay for that."

Before Daryl could even think about asking what he had meant, George had sunk down on his knees in front of him, opened his pants and wrapped his pouty lips around Daryl's erection. He began to bob his head up and down as he was still pulling the bartender's pants off his legs, and Daryl could do nothing but moan, desperately trying to hold on to the singer's head.

George blew him within an inch of his orgasm, then, as he felt Daryl teetering close to the edge, he pulled off and got back up, Daryl's whine music in his ears. He stepped around the bartender, leaned forward and whispered into his ear "Told you."

Daryl's head fell back onto George's shoulder as he groaned his frustration towards the ceiling, the singer's low chuckle in his ear. George stayed real close to him as he got rid of the rest of his own clothes, then he grabbed Daryl by the shoulders and steered him towards the bed.

"Bend down, Daryl," he whispered into the bartender's ear, "get on your knees for me." While Daryl followed his advice and scrambled onto the bed, George got lube and condoms out of his bedside table.

He squeezed some lube on Daryl's entrance, then ordered him to get prepared as he positioned himself in front of the bartender's face. Daryl was too far gone to protest, and he obediently began to massage and finger his own tight hole, when he felt George's fingers in his hair again.

Looking up, Daryl's gaze was met by a hot look right down George's nose. "There you go," the singer whispered, his voice tinged with lust, "such a good boy."

When Daryl made to talk back, George silenced him quickly. He held a finger to the bartender's lips, complete with sushing noises, then bend down to kiss him passionately. Pulling back again, his eyes were full of heated longing, and Daryl whined at the sight.

"Open." That was all it took for George to say to get Daryl to swallow his cock to the hilt, and the singer moaned in pleasure. "Yes, Daryl," he encouraged, "just like that."

George continued to touch Daryl's hair. "You're so hot when you open yourself up, you know that?" he whispered, and Daryl looked up at him, his mouth still full of dick. It took a tremendous effort for the singer not to come right then and there, as Daryl looked so desperate.

George pulled out while saying "Shit. I'm not sure I ever saw a sexier sight." He shook his head, pulled Daryl up and hugged him. The bartender searched for his mouth and they kissed heatedly, until George whispered "Gonna take you now."

Daryl turned around as quickly as he could manage, in order to not lose any more time. The singer had laughed at his actions at first, but was silenced quickly by the arousing view of Daryl's well prepared butt.

George grabbed a condom and rolled it down his cock, lined up and plunged right into Daryl's hole. He held tight to his hips as he began to set up a rhythm, pulling and pushing with all the intention of fucking Daryl into the next dimension.

Judging by his cries, it was working well, and George added his own voice to the choir soon. When he felt his orgasm approaching, he grabbed Daryl by his massive shoulders and held on as he pounded his cock into the bartender's ass to shoot his load.

He wound one arm around Daryl's waist to grab his cock and pumped it in accordance with the pace he had set to make the bartender come as well. Daryl totally lost it. He cried George's name to the ceiling as his cock spurted cum all over the bedspread, and George could not help the smug smile that appeared on his face.

Daryl crashed into the mattress, no longer able to keep himself supported, and George barely managed to pull out, get rid of the condom before he fell onto the bed next to the hunky bartender.

They had caught their breath somewhat when Daryl looked at George and asked him a question. "So what now? Are you kicking me out?"

George shook his head. "Why would I do that?" He leaned over to kiss Daryl for the longest time, then whispered "I'd love to do it again later, what do you say?"

Daryl grinned, but before he could answer one way or another, George added "Wait – when does your next shift start?"

"Late," Daryl answered, stretching out close to George leisurely. "Got the night shift the next couple of days. 'S why I can't go to the concert."

George suggested for them to get cleaned up a bit, and afterwards they went to bed together, tossing the soiled bedspread aside before they snuggled up to each other. Sighing, George switched the light off, and they fell asleep after exchanging another, this time very sweet and slow, kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes an expression that was invented by the one and only demented_queen: Wham! Bam. Thank you, ma'am. She very generously allowed me to use it. Thank you, girl, you rock!


	4. A Moment With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and George spend a pleasant morning in each other's company. Later on the same day, negotiations regarding Aaron and Eric get underway...

George woke up to an interesting feeling in the early hours of the next morning. He moaned in pleasure as Daryl's erection continued to press against his own ass, and the voice of a still sleepy bartender reached his ear.

"My turn this time, huh? Whaddaya think?" Daryl drawled, but George found that he had barely any time to answer, as Daryl's lubed up fingers found their way between his cheeks to rub over his back entrance.

Closing his eyes, the singer pushed his ass back on Daryl's fingers, with the result of one breaching his tight hole, and George moaned even louder this time. Daryl wound his other arm around George's chest, pulled him flush with his own and tweaked his nipple.

All the while, Daryl moved his hips so that his hard-on brushed over George's ass, causing the sweetest friction. He leaned forward and began to nibble along the singer's ear, then whispered "Gonna take you as soon as I got you open enough."

A shiver went down George's spine and Daryl smiled at the reactions he drew out of him. Daryl grabbed a condom and carefully tore the wrapper open with his teeth. He used both hands to roll the rubber down on his cock, inserting his fingers back into the singer's ass right away.

Then he noticed how George made to touch his own erection. "Now, we can't have that, can we?" He asked in a mocking tone while he grabbed both hands and pulled them up towards the pillow.

Daryl used his knee to nudge George's legs further apart, then hooked his calf around one of them to maneuvre George onto his stomach. He pulled his fingers out, lined up, and before he plunged in he smacked the singer's ass non too gently.

A curse left George's mouth, but Daryl only grinned behind his back as he pressed his cock into his tight back entrance. When he had bottomed out, he whispered for George to let him know when he could move, then went on to kiss and bite along his shoulders.

George grunted before he stated "You're a kinky fucker, Daryl." The bartender chuckled.

"You don't know half of it," was his only response. And with that, he started to set up a pounding rhythm that left George no other choice but to stop talking. Soon, their combined moaning filled the fancy cabin.

Daryl still had George's hands in a firm grip above their heads, and the singer seemed to enjoy that a lot. "Daryl," he managed after a while, "I need you to..." Here, he had to pause, since a rather vicious thrust left him temporarily speechless.

"Yeah," Daryl all but growled, "you need me to what?" George pushed back hard again, and Daryl got an idea as to what he might have been referring to. He let go of the singer's hands, wrapped his arm around George's middle and heaved him into a kneeling position.

George looked back over his shoulder at him and pleaded. "Make it rough, Daryl. Don't hold back."

The bartender did not even answer but set right back to pound George's ass with a relentless pace, that soon had them both on the edge. When Daryl's orgasm crashed over him, he brought one hand back down on George's ass with a resounding smack.

Crying out, the singer begged him to do that again, and Daryl complied a few more times, causing George to spill his semen all over the bedding as he shouted Daryl's name to the ceiling. They spent the following minutes lying next to each other, trying to regain their breath.

"Daryl?" George asked after a while, and continued when he felt the bartender nodding next to him. "Would you stay for breakfast? We could shower together first." He suggested, and Daryl readily agreed.

George got up and went through his clothes, trying to find something he could lend to Daryl, so the bartender's way back to his own cabin would not turn into a walk of shame. He felt Daryl's presence behind himself as he stepped up to George and hugged him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

The singer turned around in his embrace and kissed Daryl on the mouth. "Come on," he said after they had parted, and he pulled Daryl over to the bathroom.

Their shower started out innocently enough, with both George and Daryl washing each other, interspersed with kisses and a couple of hugs. But at some point Daryl noticed that not only his own length was hardening again, George's rose to attention as well.

Without further ado, he pushed up to George and grabbed both their erections to jack them off together, while George held him close under the spray.

Utterly satisfied, they had a lazy breakfast together, during which they decided to get together again. George looked at Daryl then.

"Speaking of which," he began, "when we met that cute couple yesterday..." He let the sentence hang in the air to see how Daryl would react. He was not disappointed.

"Aaron and Eric?" Daryl gave back right away. "What about them?" He asked, sounding innocently enough, but George saw through his act.

"Daryl," he responded, shaking his head in mild annoyance. "I mean, I know it is none of my business, but I do have eyes, you know?"

When Daryl did not say anything, George continued to explain. "The air between you and Aaron is practically emiting sparks." He chuckled before he added "For a minute there I was worried you'd leave with him instead of me."

Daryl's facial expression spoke volumes, and George mumbled under his breath that he seemed to have hit the nail on the head, when the bartender tried to hide his blush in his hands.

George got up, went around the table and knelt down next to Daryl. He pulled his hands from the bartender's face and apologised. "Look, Daryl, I did not say this to make you uncomfortable."

Daryl nodded. "I know, it's fine." He responded. "It's just, you know, they don't have an open relationship, but everytime I see the guy..." He shook his head helplessly, and George laughed good-naturedly.

"I only brought it up to ask you what you intend to do about it," George went on to explain. "But I see that there is not much aside from trying to pull a rather nasty move on them, hm?"

When he looked at Daryl, he noticed how the bartender seemed to hang on his every word, and he wondered about it. But before he could ask any questions, Daryl, an expression of awe on his face, blurted out "You're always talking about my accent, but are you listening to yourself?"

They both broke out into laughter, and went to talk about their next opportunity to get together. George brought up the question if it was ok for them to see other guys as well, and they agreed on them not being exclusive.

Shortly afterwards, Daryl got up to be on his way, and George saw him out, making sure that he would not be spotted by anyone who might rat him out.

* * *

While Daryl went first to his cabin to change into his own clothes, then to the bar to try and catch Zach before his shift was over, the couple he and George had talked about were having a lazy morning together.

Following a late breakfast, Eric had gotten his violin out while Aaron had been in the bathroom, and now that his partner had re-entered the room they shared, he played a romantic melody just for him.

When he was done, Aaron, who had been listening with bated breath, said quietly "I love Clair de Lune, especially when you play it for me."

Eric blushed at Aaron's praise, and the two men hugged each other tight. "How about a lazy day at the pool?" Eric suggested, and Aaron nodded. But when he looked back up at Eric, his expression changed.

"What if Daryl is there, Eric?" He asked anxiously, but his partner smiled. "Then you could order a drink and flirt some more, couldn't you?" Aaron opened his mouth to protest, but Eric held up a hand to stop him.

"Aaron. I did not say that to imply anything. I was just teasing, but I can see now that it might not have been the best idea." He paused for a moment, then pulled Aaron into another hug.

"How about this?" He went on. "We go there and see if he is working or not, then decide on our next plan of action?" He felt Aaron nod again, this time against his chest. Soon enough they were on their way to the bar.

Aaron sighed in relief when they saw that Zach was not working with Daryl, and Eric pulled him over to talk to Zach. They had no sooner ordered some drinks and exchanged a few words with the young bartender though, when Daryl strolled around the corner, heading for the bar as well.

He greeted the couple, then asked Zach if he had time to catch up when his shift was over, which Zach was all too willing to agree with, since he was dying to know about Daryl's date from the night before.

Daryl hopped on a barstool next to Eric to wait for Zach. Apparently though, his younger co-worker was not the only person interested in how his date with George Michael had proceeded, as Eric made sure that nobody was close enough to listen in on their conversation before he asked Daryl about that as well.

Promptly Daryl's eyes glazed over, and a smile to rival the Chesire Cat's appeared on his handsome features. Both Aaron and Eric laughed at his reaction, and Eric almost bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement.

Daryl did not want to give any details away, though he admitted that he had spent the night in George's cabin. "The guy has a piano in there, can you believe it?" He told them, only to be met by a display of indifference.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "Eric brought his violin along," he stated, and Eric smiled at him as he squeezed his hand briefly, remembering their romantic moment.

Daryl asked "Are you a musician as well, Eric?" But the tall guy with the fair skin shook his head. "Only in my freetime," he gave back. Then his eyes turned dreamy as he added "Oh, how I would love to play with George, even if it was only for one song..."

When Aaron and Eric had wandered over to the pool, Zach soon was on his way to the coffee bar with Daryl, having a similar conversation with Daryl like Eric had with Aaron at the pool. It was all about how both Aaron and Daryl had tried real hard not to flirt with each other.

In fact, they had hardly glanced at the other guy to avoid that. Daryl and Zach soon went to talk about other stuff, with Daryl getting a kick out of Zach's reaction to his confirmation of the cruisin' George Michael liked to do.

But Eric and Aaron ended up talking about his and Daryl's mutual attraction for a longer time.

* * *

When Daryl saw George next, one of the first things he told him was that Eric played the violin and had brought his instrument on the cruise, even. George looked thoughtful for a moment, then he asked Daryl how he could reach Eric somehow, and Daryl promised to get them connected.

On that evening, Daryl worked at the bar when Eric turned up to have a drink, and Daryl asked him if everything was alright, since he did arrive all by hisself. Eric explained that he wanted to talk to Daryl alone.

The bartender must have looked worried, cause Eric hurriedly tried to assure him that he did not plan on scaring Daryl off. Still looking sceptical, Daryl suggested for them to go grab a quick drink when his shift was over, and Eric agreed to wait at the bar.

While he had his drink, Daryl told him how he had mentioned to George that Eric was a musician as well, and that the singer was interested in meeting him again. That, of course, had Eric being all aflutter, and Daryl unceremoniously called George's cabin.

He was lucky to catch the singer on his way out, and Daryl handed the phone over to Eric, who talked to George for a minute. After he rang off, Eric beamed at Daryl and told him about his lunch date for the next day, which made Daryl grin.

When his shift was finally over, Daryl felt more like sleeping than anything else, but he stuck to his and Eric's agreement. They went to another bar together, and Daryl asked Eric what he wanted to talk to him about.

Eric, realising that Daryl needed his beauty sleep, summed up his and Aaron's many talks about their mutual attraction. But when the handsome guy ended his account with the decision to let Aaron act on his crush, Daryl began to squirm in protest.

Holding up his hands to signal that he would like to add something, Eric explained that he felt like he and Aaron needed to see if their relationship really was as strong as he thought it was – and that this was the crucial point in their discussion as well, because Aaron had begun to doubt that.

But Eric disagreed, since Aaron's assumption was based soley on his attraction to Daryl.

The bartender appeared to remain doubtful. "Eric," he began, "I get what you're saying, and I think it's great that you and Aaron can even talk about things like that." He sighed deeply before he continued. "But I really don't think this is such a good idea."

This time, it was Daryl who held up his hand when Eric made to say something, and the bartender continued. "Don't get me wrong, it's unlikely that I fall for Aaron, especially since I'm, well, I dunno if it's love or anything, but there is this guy..."

Daryl, suddenly unsure as to how to phrase his complicated relationship with Gareth, leaned forward, bracing himself on the table. He put his face into his hands and sighed deeply, trying to regain his composure, when he felt Eric's comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Daryl," he suggested quietly, "how about we leave now and I walk with you to your cabin. We can talk some more on the way?" The bartender nodded, and they left after they had paid for their drinks.

On the way to Daryl's cabin, he told Eric about Gareth, and the musician scrunched up his handsome features in a thoughtful manner.

"Ugh," he mumbled, "sounds complicated. I can't say that I'm jealous, even though it sounds like you two have quite the connection," Eric ended his comment, and Daryl nodded in agreement.

They had reached Daryl's cabin by then, but no conciliation regarding the bartender's potential fling with Aaron. "You know what, Eric?" Daryl asked, grabbing him by the shoulders, "How about we talk again tomorrow?" Eric nodded, and pulled Daryl into a hug.

He mumbled something then, but Daryl did not catch it, so he asked him to repeat it – which was not the best idea, since Eric looked up to comply. Distracted by the way Eric's unusual eye colour appeared in the lighting conditions, he asked him a question, talking right over Eric in the process.

"Does your eye colour even have a name?" Eric looked taken aback, but Daryl gave him no chance to take his exclamation the wrong way as he went on to say "It's beautiful."

Eric blushed and looked away, but Daryl grabbed his chin and turned his head back around to face himself again. He leaned forward just a fraction, and with his face as close to Eric's as possible he whispered "You're beautiful, Eric."


	5. Too Funky - Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continues right where the last chapter left off. Our favorite bartender ends his evening on a smutty note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, KrissyG927, I thought about you when I wrote this. *winks*  
> A well deserved 'Thank You!' goes out to Pharmtechgirl71, who never shies away from any questions that pop up in my rambled brain at random times. Love you, dear!

Eric swallowed. Being so close to Daryl made him feel all kinds of weird, but he managed to repeat what he had already said twice. This time around though, Daryl heard him. "I am attracted to you as well, Daryl."

The bartender's eyes turned almost predatory at that, and he felt tempted to just lean forward and kiss Eric, but the musician was not finished yet. "I don't feel like acting on it, though it is very tempting, especially right now." Eric added.

Afterwards, it was obvious that he made a concious decision to step back and leave Daryl's embrace. "We should do what you suggested, Daryl, and talk again tomorrow."

The bartender agreed, then added "Oh, and have fun at your lunch tomorrow!" He wiggled his eyebrows, which earned him a playful pat on the arm, dished out by a blushing Eric. "Yeah, yeah," he gave back, "see you tomorrow, Daryl."

They bid each other goodnight and Daryl went into his cabin alone.

* * *

While Eric walked back to his and Aaron's cabin, wondering how he could explain what had almost transpired to his partner, Daryl was already undressing in his cabin, thinking about a quick shower before bed.

He looked at his phone to check for messages, and found that he had a missed call from Gareth. Wondering why he had called when all they had done so far was texting, he hit the keys to check his voicemail.

When he listened to Gareth's short message, a shiver ran down his spine. Daryl had no illusions as to why that might be, his phase of denial where feelings for the hairdresser were concerned long through, and he dialed Gareth's number as soon as the message was over.

"Well," Gareth answered, "if it isn't my favorite bartender!"

Daryl grunted. "Still your usual chippy self, huh?" He gave back as he walked over to his bed to lie down.

Gareth laughed. "Yep, I guess. So," he began to purr, "what are you doing right now? Or," he laughed again, "should I rephrase this so you won't tell me you're on the phone? Hm... Are you wearing anything right now?" He asked, and Daryl moaned under his breath.

Thinking how Gareth managed to somehow always nail it, Daryl answered. "Nope. Was about to take a shower when I got your message."

The hairdresser moaned on the other end, and Daryl could hear some rustling. "Whatcha doin', Gareth..?" He asked in a suggestive voice, only to hear another moan. Daryl grinned, waiting for Gareth to answer.

"Um, just getting undressed as well, hang on, gotta put you aside for a minute," Daryl heard noises that confirmed just that, and he waited for Gareth to pick the phone up again.

Sounding a little out of breath, Gareth whispered "You already got your hands on that beautiful cock of yours..?"

Daryl looked guilty, and he blushed as he glanced down his body at his hand, lazily rubbing up and down his hard length. Even though Gareth could not see him, he interpreted the too long silence correctly. "So you are, and I bet you blushed as well, right?"

The bartender decided to try an offensive approach. "Pft, so what if I am?" He asked offhandedly. "It's not like you are keeping those versatile hands of yours above the blanket, right?"

A harsh intake of breath on the other end of the line told him that he had guessed correctly, Gareth had started jerking as well, and Daryl decided to go one better. "Hm, I see," he whispered. "so how about you pay a little attention to the head now?"

When he heard Gareth groan out an affirmation of sorts, he added "But I want you to spit into your hand first, make it real wet, so you can pretend it's my mouth going down on you."

Gareth moaned out loud, and Daryl heard how he did exactly what Daryl had told him to do. Grinning to himself, Daryl murmured his next instructions over the line to Gareth. "Good. Now I want you to use your other hand on your nipples, you know, like I always do."

By now, Gareth had gotten his usual demanor back, and he spoke up. "Listen, Daryl." He put two of his fingers into his mouth and sucked on them noisily. "You heard that?"

When Daryl groaned, Gareth smiled and went on. "Just wetted my fingers so it will feel like you are licking my nipples. I'm tweaking them right now..." Gareth hissed from the sensation, and Daryl felt his cock harden even more.

"Gawd, Gareth, my cock just got harder." He told him, and the hairdresser moaned back "Good. I love your cock hard as a rock, you know that."

Both men were panting by then, and Daryl got up to reach into his dresser, pulling the lube out. He used some to wet his fingers, then knelt down on the bed. "Listen, Gareth, I'm putting you on speakerphone, so I have my hands free."

"Hm, good idea, why didn't I think of that?" The hairdresser asked as he did the same. "Daryl," he got back on, "what did you do just now? You got up, didn't you?"

"Sly dog," Daryl gave back, "you heard that, huh? Yeah, I got me some lube, and now I'm kneeling on my bed."

Gareth's harsh intake of breath came over the phone, and he groaned "Daryl. You got a dildo over there as well..?"

The bartender had to deny that, but Gareth was not discoureaged. "No matter, your fingers will do just fine. Gawd," he groaned, "how I would love to open you up myself, just to get my cock into that tight ass of yours now..."

Daryl stopped in the process of reaching for his back entrance to give his dick a few harsh strokes. He moaned loudly, and Gareth chimed right in when he heard it. "Let go of your dick, Daryl, and massage those heavy balls for me, would you," Gareth asked, and Daryl immediately complied.

"Hm," he moaned, "that's real good." The hairdresser groaned as well, asking Daryl to describe what he was doing. "Just what you said," Daryl answered in a teasing voice tinged with lust. "Fondling my balls."

When Gareth's moaning intensified, Daryl smiled to himself and added "Of course, I got my fingers in my ass now, too."

"Gawd, Daryl, you sure will be the death of me, you know that?" Gareth asked under his breath, and Daryl gave right back "I think it's the other way round."

The hairdresser laughed breathlessly. "Put your hand on that glorious cock of yours, Daryl, I'm real close and I want to come with you."

Daryl instantly obeyed, his moans coming in shorter intervals now, and he listened closely to the noises on Gareth's end, in order to ensure that they would indeed come at the same time.

When Daryl felt close to getting off, he groaned harshly "You there, Gareth? Cause I'm about to burst over here." He barely heard the hairdresser's squeezed out confirmation before he continued. "Come for me, Gareth. Shoot your cum all over yourself."

The bartender heard Gareth's orgasm explode out of him, and that pulled Daryl right over the edge. He felt his own hole clench around his fingers as his cock spurted hot cum all over the bed, nearly missing the phone.

He fell onto his side, panting. After a minute or two, he heard Gareth's voice again. "Daryl?" He asked, and the bartender grunted. "That was so hot. Sleep tight now, alright?"

"You too, Gareth. Glad you called." Daryl gave back, and the hairdresser laughed. "Yeah, me too. Can't wait to see you again. You still scheduled for that next cruise?"

"Hm, yeah," Daryl answered. They ended the call, and when he went to bed after cleaning up, Daryl fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	6. The Edge of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The concert night is finally there, and it proves to be a catalyser for things to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains references to two songs that might not be known to everyone. One is "Wild is the Wind", which can be found on George Michael's album "Songs from the Last Century". The other one, "Be With You", was published by a British duo called Jan & Ilse, and I included the lyrics in the chapter text because it is an independet band that, in my opinion, deserved much more attention.

The next day found Daryl in a good mood again, and he went to do some rounds in the pool. When he got back out, oblivious to any longing looks cast his way as usual, he almost bumped into Aaron, who had just arrived to swim as well.

The cute guy with the big eyes and unruly hair blushed a beet red, and Daryl apologised to him, feeling sorry that he had made him so uncomfortable. He suggested for them to have a drink together, since his shift would not start until late in the evening, and Aaron accepted.

When they sat down, causing a couple of curious glances from Zach who was working with somebody else again, Aaron still appeared to be uncomfortable, and Daryl asked him about it. "You know, Daryl," he answered thoughtfully, "this whole affair had me thinking."

Blushing yet again, he shook his head in mortification over what he had just said. "Let me rephrase that," he began anew after he had regained his composure somewhat. "What I meant was that I've gotten unsure about my relationship with Eric."

Daryl thought about that for a moment before he answered. "But why, Aaron? From what I've seen, you guys are a lovely couple."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, we are, and we can even talk to each other about my attraction to you." Here, he blushed again. "Gawd, it feels weird to talk to you about that..." He drifted off, and Daryl laughed.

"I agree, it does feel weird," the bartender said, "but it's probably for the best that we try to discuss it. You know, to find a way to deal with it?" He took a sip from his drink before he continued, all the while well aware of how Aaron watched him.

Daryl, being as versed as he was when it came to matters of secret cravings, picked up on the tiny hint of desire hidden in Aaron's huge eyes. "I think it's perfectly normal to find other people attractive, even if you are in a relationship."

Here he cleared his throat. "Not that I am such an expert on relationships to begin with, but you know what I'm talking about." Aaron nodded, and Daryl plowed on. "I recon it doesn't neccessarily mean that your relationship with Eric is in danger."

Aaron cast his eyes down and whispered "Even if we act on it, Daryl? That's cheating."

They went silent for a while, at a loss as to what to say. Both men drank some more, looking off into the distance.

It was Aaron who spoke again first. "Before we went on this holiday," he began to explain in a quiet voice, "I made up my mind about something important, and now I don't know if I can still go through with it."

When Daryl looked at him questioningly, Aaron sat up a little straighter and held his gaze. "Can I tell you a secret, Daryl, and would you be honest with me about what you think?"

Daryl nodded without hesitation. Aaron sighed before he continued. "I wanted to ask Eric to marry me, even went and got a ring to propose properly."

The bartender interrupted him. "That's great, Aaron! I bet Eric will accept." But Aaron shook his head, a worried expression etched into his handsome features.

"I'm not so sure about that anymore, Daryl. You talked to Eric yesterday, right?" Daryl nodded, and Aaron continued, slightly outraged. "Did he tell you that he would be ok with us getting together? I mean, how fucked up is that, if you excuse my French?"

With his head falling back, Daryl laughed whole heartedly at that. He noticed how Aaron appeared to be taken aback, and hurried to explain his reaction. "Do you have any idea how weird it feels when somebody apologises to me for cursing?!"

It took him a minute, but then Aaron got it and laughed as well. "Ok," he gave back, sounding amused, "point taken."

Daryl went on to tell him about another couple he had met on one of the cruises, who were living in an open relationship because they both had needs the other could or would not fulfil. He suggested for Aaron to set up some clear cut rules with Eric.

"You mean like, would we spend one night together and keep it at that, stuff like that?" Aaron asked, still looking somewhat unsure about his standing concerning the topic.

Daryl nodded. "Eric is on his lunch date right now?" He asked, and Aaron confirmed that, telling Daryl how his partner had been all excited about it.

They spent some time predicting different scenarios for that meeting, and at some point during these musings, Daryl asked Aaron if it ever occured to him how Eric might be tempted as well – just not by Daryl, but rather a certain singer...

At first, Aaron looked flabbergasted, but slowly, after some thinking, understanding crept into his manly features. "I still have trouble wrapping my head around all this," he confessed, putting said head into his hands.

Suddenly, he felt Daryl's mouth close to his ear as he whispered "And what a pretty head that is..."

Aaron, shocked by Daryl's easy flirting, looked up – right into Daryl's stunning eyes. "Daryl," he chastised under his breath, "can you be a little more obvious? Honestly!"

The bartender laughed. "Loosen up, Aaron, geez," he told him, then tried a diversion to change the topic. "Are you looking forward to the concert tonight?" Aaron's eyes lit up, and Daryl mused "I take that as a yes, then."

Still grinning, Aaron asked Daryl a question. "But back to what I told you about earlier – provided I decide to still go through with it and ask Eric to marry me, how could I do it?"

Daryl's expression turned comical and he sighed dramatically. "Good lord," he answered, "you're definitely barking up the wrong tree here. The only proposals I've seen were in movies, and I'm sure those aren't exactly a good example."

Aaron, amused by Daryl's explanation, nodded in agreement as Daryl added "besides, they usually are so awfully cheesy, too!"

Both men burst out laughing, and it took them a minute to quiet down somewhat. A thoughtful expression on his face, Daryl stated "I think it should be romantic, and you migh want to tell him how you feel about him. Then you just go ahead and ask him."

Aaron's eyes widened, and Daryl thought to himself that it was a damn miracle that it was even possible, since Aaron had such big eyes in the first place, when the cute guy uttered "I think you're right, Daryl."

He swallowed before he continued. "I should try and keep it simple."

Daryl grinned. "Who would've guessed that a redneck could give such advice, huh? Wait till I tell my brother about it," he winked, and Aaron could not help but laugh as well, even though he disagreed.

But when he spoke up to tell Daryl how he thought that he was talking himself down too much by enabling people to put him into such a category, the bartender stopped him as soon as he realised what he was going to say.

"It's fine, Aaron. I'm aware that me and Merle stepped away from that, but on the other hand, it is still our background, you know?" He explained, and Aaron nodded.

They had finished their drinks by then, and Daryl suggested for them to part now – only to add mere seconds later "Wait, I think I have another idea for your proposal," he mumbled. Pausing to roll his idea around in his mind again before he told Aaron about it, he stated.

"But I think I need to talk to someone first," sounding apologetic. "Tell you what," he suggested, "I will do that and get back to you about it as soon as possible, a'ight?"

Slightly befuddled, but at the same time pleased at Daryl's effort to help him out, Aaron smiled and agreed, admitting that he could hardly wait to find out what was on Daryl's mind.

They talked to Zach for a few minutes, with the younger bartender shooting a look at his older co-worker when Aaron's back was turned for a second. It made clear that he would grill Daryl about his conversation with Aaron the next time they had a minute to talk.

Soon after that, Daryl went to grab a bite to eat, wishing Aaron, who planned on doing his rounds in the pool then, a great concert experience in the evening and told him to say hi to Eric from him.

* * *

In the evening when Daryl was already working, Aaron and Eric went to attend the concert. Aaron wondered why Eric was so nervous, but wrote it off as him being excited to finally see George perform.

They sat down among the other people in attendance, and Aaron fleetingly thought how weird Eric had been behaving after his lunch meeting with George, as he had expected his partner to blurt out everything that had happened as soon as he came back to their room.

But Eric had been rather closed off, and now Aaron remembered how Daryl had mentioned Eric's attraction towards George Michael. Talk about worst possible timing, he thought to himself when the concert was about to start.

He managed to pull himself out of that slight funk just in time, so that both he and Eric were able to enjoy listening to the various songs George performed with a small band, and they clapped enthusiastically after every number.

George clearly was in his element, and he did keep his eye out for the couple as well, just as he had promised when they had met on the evening he went out on his date with Daryl.

At some point during the concert, he gave Eric a distinct nod, and Aaron's partner got up after he had given Aaron's hand a gentle squeeze.

Eric walked to the stage while George introduced him as a fellow musician and guest of the cruise, who would now join them for a song, and the audience, somewhat baffled by the announcement, still applauded politely, a stunned Aaron sitting among them.

The light was dimmed some more as George Michael sat down at the piano, while Eric made sure that his violin was still tuned correctly. When he gave the sign, George started to play, singing a slow number called Wild is the Wind, backed up by Eric's expressive play.

The number was over way too soon to Aaron's liking, and he whistled loudly, which caused Eric to blush while George grinned.

Leaning towards the microphone once more he announced "We prepared another song for you all, but first Eric would like to address the guy who whistled so enthusiastically just now." Everyone laughed good naturedly, and Eric stepped forward.

"Aaron, I just wanted to say that I love you so much." He had to pause here to wait for the audience to settle down, as a bout of awe's had broken out following his announcement. "Thank you." He told them politely before he went on.

"I am so happy to be with you, which is why George and I rehearsed this particular song today." The audience was surprised about this unexpected turn during the concert, and Aaron had to ask his neighbour for a kleenex.

Eric's smile could have lit the room right back up as George announced the next song. "A British duo going by the name of Jan & Ilse created the song Eric referred to, and it's called Be With You."

 

Be With You

 

Low lights slow dancing

That's not me that's not me

Late nights sweet romancing

That's not me that's not me

Why why is it such a deal

I don'tbelieve in being head over heels

And if it ever happens see how I feel

 

Hold hands under the moon

That's not me that's not me

End a letter with I love you

That's not me that's not me

 

Oh heck I love your eyes

Fill my belly with butterflies

Everything I told you must have been lies

 

All I really want to do is

Be with you

All I really want to say is

Stay stay stay

All I really want to do is

Be with you

 

Red red the wine is swimming

We've rocked this bottle and

The dawn is grinning

I thought I was a loser

I must be winning

 

All I really want to do is

Be with you

All I really want to say is

Stay stay stay

All I really want to be is

True to me and you [lyrics by Jan Allain]

 

The song was well perceived, and Eric got a special round of applause as he went back to his place at Aaron's side, who hugged him tight, whispering into his ear. "Those must have been the cutest lyrics I've ever heard."

A few songs and encores later, the concert was over, and Aaron made to get up to head out of the room along with the other guests, but Eric held him back. "George invited us for a drink, provided you wouldn't mind."

When Aaron nodded, Eric pulled him along as he walked to the stage and beyond, into the backstage area. They talked to George briefly, then went to a bar he had suggested, as they had agreed to wait for him there.

Aaron and Eric got drinks and a snack each, then went to sit down at the table George had reserved for them. They talked some, but for the most part stayed quiet, while holding hands and exchanging looks full of love and affection.

George smiled brightly at them when he arrived. "I see our idea went over well, huh?" He teased, winking at Aaron as he sat down, and both men grinned as they agreed. Aaron congratulated George on the concert, and they talked about it for a while.

But soon enough, Eric and George picked up where they had left off earlier during their lunch date, and Aaron, being no musician himself, felt somewhat out of his element. George, being the sly dog he was, suggested for Aaron to visit Daryl.

Aaron looked rather uneasy, and he asked Eric to step aside with him for a minute. Outside of the bar, Eric hugged him tight, even though they were in a public place, and whispered into his ear. "You know how I think about this, Aaron. Just go, and see what happens with Daryl."

When Aaron opened his mouth to protest, Eric shook his head. "Aaron," he continued, "please. Just think about how you might feel if you never knew, after the cruise is over."

A little exasperated because Aaron tried to protest yet again, Eric added another thought. "You ever thought about how that might affect our relationship? If you don't find out what it is between you and Daryl?"

Hanging his head, Aaron fought an inner debate with himself. When he looked back up, he asked Eric an important question. "Are you planning on starting anything with George?"

"Wait – what?" Eric answered, clearly confused.

"When I talked to Daryl at the bar today, he mentioned that you might be attracted to George as well. And," he added, "from what I've seen so far, George wouldn't mind at all."

"I don't know, Aaron. The thought never occured to me, but I will think about it. Ok?" A perplexed Eric told him, and Aaron nodded.

They parted with a kiss, both of them trying to express their deep love for the other with action instead of more words. Afterwards, Eric went back inside to George, while Aaron started on his way to the bar.

Over an hour later, Aaron was still sitting at the bar by the pool, watching Daryl work. So far, the bartender did not have much time to talk to him, since it was the busiest shift of the day, and Aaron tried to just relax and watch the other patrons.

Daryl felt nervous about Aaron being there, and he wanted to ask his co-worker for a short break, but they were just too busy for it. Then Zach turned up for a drink, and Daryl was able to twist his arm, filling in for him.

"Thanks, Zach, I owe you one!" Daryl told him as he whisked Aaron away, and Zach mumbled under his breath "Better be another earth shattering kiss", just for Daryl to hear, whose ears promptly turned red.

Thinking how much his former shy and quiet co-worker had changed, he was still chuckling when he arrived at a more secluded spot away from the hustle and bustle of the bar with a bewildered Aaron in tow. "Daryl," he spoke up, "what the..?"

Daryl, on the other hand, had no intention of allowing him to end the question, as he pushed him against the nearest wall. "Aaron," he groaned under his breath, "enough talking for today, a'ight? Just tell me if you're ok with this, or did you turn up at the bar for another reason?"

Aaron had the hardest time to try and think straight, what with Daryl being pressed up against himself, his chisled features mere inches away from his own face. When Aaron did not answer right away, Daryl added "You know, like, telling me that you decided to not give it a try..?"

Nearly inaudible, Aaron whispered "Oh shucks, Daryl – you are even sexier when you're feeling insecure..." He had leaned forward while saying this without realising it, and was now so close to Daryl, he could practically breathe the same air.

Just for a second, time stood still between the two men.

Looking deep into each other's eyes, they both moved their heads that last inch, and their mouths met in a searing kiss, as they both moaned in longing for one another.

Daryl's hands moved all over Aaron's body, as he whispered into the kiss how well he looked in his suit, while Aaron had Daryl's upper arms in a vice-like grip.

The bartender moved one of his hands into Aaron's unruly hair and turned his head so he could whisper into his ear. "Please tell me that we can spend some time together after my shift..."

He felt Aaron's nod more than he saw it, and he peppered his neck with kisses, causing the cute guy to moan again as he put his head on Daryl's shoulder, his eyes closed in pleasure.

"What the..?" Daryl drawled, looking into Aaron's equally puzzled face, and it took both guys a moment to identify the vibration between them correctly. Aaron pulled his cell phone out and checked the text message that had just arrived.

"Weird," he said more to himself. He looked up at Daryl and explained. "It's from Eric, he and George are on their way to the bar to talk to us..?"

"Well," Daryl mumbled, "only one way to find out what that's all about, right?" A wicked grin appeared on his face then, and he crowded Aaron in once more.

"Just one more taste, you know, as a reminder of sorts..." And he kissed the living shit out of Aaron before he could even think of any reply.

Minutes later, Aaron was back on a barstool, still feeling dazzled, and Daryl was working behind the counter, when Eric turned up with George following right behind. Taking a minute to talk, Daryl asked about the concert, but had to serve other customers soon afterwards again.

When he returned to the small group the next time, he got the impression that a decision had been made. George leaned in close to Daryl and murmured into his ear, so other patrons would not be able to listen in.

"Looks like you scored yourself an affair, Daryl," he mused before he added "But I've got to admit, I am somewhat jealous."

The bartender must have looked as confused as he felt, since George elaborated some more. "Aaron will meet you when your shift is over, while I will, shall we say, entertain Eric some more." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Daryl laughed.

* * *

George and Eric had long been gone, moving their discussions about music and other topics to a different bar for starters, when Daryl's shift was finally over. He went to the pool area and found Aaron sprawled out on a lounge chair.

The bartender bent down and kissed him slowly. Responding with an air of longing, Aaron wrapped his arms around Daryl's shoulders, trying to pull him down on top of himself. But Daryl pulled away, an apologetic smile on his face.

"If I lie down now, I'll never get back up."

Aaron nodded and asked "Long day, huh?"

"Yep," Daryl answered, "my feet are killing me. Besides," he added with a laugh, "it's not exactly the best spot for a makeout session."

"Security." Aaron guessed, as Daryl confirmed "Hm, yeah; almost got caught once on a different cruise, too." He reached a hand down and pulled Aaron up, using too much force on purpose, so the cute guy would end up pressed against his broad chest again.

"Gawd," Daryl drawled absentmindedly, "I love your mouth so much, that lower lip is just too darn kissable," and he proceeded to do just that. Repeatedly.

When they were both out of breath yet again, Daryl and Aaron went on their way to Daryl's cabin, and as soon as the door closed behind them, they were all over each other again, pulling at clothes to get the other undressed as fast as possible.

Lots of laughs, small bumps, and a bit of cursing on Daryl's part later, both men were down to their underwear, their combined moaning filling the cabin as they stood right in the middle, as close to each other as possible, kissing and touching.

They were both hard to the point of hurting, and Daryl stepped back to pull his briefs off when Aaron started to rut against him for more friction. The bartender made short work of Aaron's underwear as well, then pulled him back into a tight hug.

With their erections pressed right next to each other, they moaned in unison, and Aaron's head fell back into his neck when Daryl grabbed his ass and squeezed. "Whatcha want, Aaron?" He drawled before he licked along Aaron's neck.

Not able to answer, Aaron moaned helplessly, and Daryl pulled his cheeks apart, brushing his fingertips over his hole. "How 'bout I fuck you, huh?" Daryl asked, his voice husky and barely audible. "Would ya like that?"

Aaron could only nod, and Daryl began to walk him backwards to his bed. He guided Aaron down to sit on the bed while he got lube and condoms out of the bedside table, then he lubed up three of his fingers.

"Lie down, Aaron," he instructed, and the cute guy obliged. Daryl knelt onto the bed, right next to Aaron's legs, and he pulled the upper leg into a bend position. That way, he was able to reach his hole from the front.

Bowing his head down, the bartender began to lap at the pre-cum that leaked from Aaron's cock as he sneaked his fingers through Aaron's legs, massaging his back entrance. Aaron moaned, his hands woven into Daryl's hair, and he whispered the bartender's name under his breath.

Daryl looked up, his mouth still wrapped around the head of Aaron's cock. Their eyes met, and Daryl remembered how George had described the dynamics between them – the air was indeed electrified.

Using the heat of the moment as a clever diversion, Daryl pushed a finger inside, shortly followed by another one, opening Aaron up. The cute guy lay on the bed, panting, as he watched how Daryl worked his magic.

When Daryl felt that Aaron was ready to take him, he pulled his fingers out and crawled towards him. He bent down and kissed him thoroughly, rasping between kisses "You wanna get fucked from behind or..?"

"Front, Daryl, please..." Aaron pleaded, the bartender's drawl driving him crazy with want, and Daryl grinned wickedly as he grabbled for a condom. Losing no more time, he put it on, knelt between Aaron's legs and lined up.

He slowly pushed his length inside, inch by hard inch. Aaron watched him, his big eyes wider then ever, as he made a fruitless attempt to stay grounded, his hands clawing at the sheets.

Daryl groaned loudly when he was fully bottomed out, whispering something that sounded a lot like 'finally', and he began to fuck Aaron slowly, but fastened his pace soon. Aaron pulled him down, and they kissed each other breathlessly.

Showing off his impressive arms, Daryl pushed himself back up, grabbed Aaron's hips and lifted his ass from the bed. He could not hold back any longer, drawling "I need to fuck you harder, Aaron," who moaned right back.

"Please, Daryl, I need you," and with that, he began to meet Daryl's thrusts half way. Soon, the cabin was filled with the sounds of their hard bodies clashing to a harsh rhythm, accompanied by the dissonance of their moans and groans.

When Daryl told Aaron to grab his own cock to jerk himself off, he only shook his head. "I want to come from your fucking, nothing else." He managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth, as he could already feel his balls drawing up.

Sensing how near he was to bursting, Daryl paused for a moment, grinned evilly and layed on his natural drawl extra thick as he murmured "Then cum for me, Aaron."

Rocking his hips to try and get Daryl to pick it back up, Aaron was only able to moan Daryl's name under his breath.

The bartender pulled his cock almost completely back out at an excruciatingly slow pace, then pushed it back in hard and fast, commanding almost inaudibly "shoot your load all over yourself, Aaron, cum on."

Helpless to resist the drawl that had followed him in his dreams for days now, Aaron came with a roar, and Daryl kept on pounding into him until he was completely spent, then pulled out and the condom off.

He knelt down with his knees left and right from Aaron's head. "Open that pretty mouth for me, Aaron," he whispered, a pleading look in his eyes, the cute guy found himself unable to resist. Hungrily, he swallowed Daryl's cock, blowing him with hollowed cheeks.

Keeping his eyes open until the last moment, Daryl watched with bated breath, then he came hard, shooting his seed down Aaron's throat, who swallowed every last drop greedily.

Afterwards, they lay wrapped up in each other's arms, slowly coming down from their high. Daryl found that he was real close to drift off to sleep, so he whispered a question into Aaron's ear. "You wanna shower before you go back to your cabin?"

Looking into Daryl's eyes, Aaron answered "You're almost asleep, huh?" The bartender nodded, and Aaron continued. "And you think it's not a good idea for me to stay the night."

Daryl's answer was to kiss him slowly, leaving a taste of goodbye on Aaron's lips as he got up to make use of Daryl's offer. He went into the bathroom to clean up, and when he came back out, a picture on Daryl's desk caught his eye.

He picked it up to study it closer, then put it back and went to gather his scattered clothes so he could dress once more. Hugging Daryl goodbye, he whispered "That the hairdresser you told us about the other day..?"

The bartender nodded and uttered "Yeah. That's my nemesis."

Aaron took his leave. When he arrived back at his and Eric's cabin, he got ready for bed, humming a tune under his breath that sounded a lot like The Edge of Heaven.

* * *

Meanwhile on another deck...

 

Following George's proposition, Eric blushed and cast his eyes down, unsure as to how to react, when he felt how the singer's arms pulled him into a hug. "You don't have to, Eric." He whispered into his ear, "But I would love to make you feel good."

The singer lifted Eric's chin with two of his fingers and looked deep into his eyes. "I love your eyecolour, it's so unique..." He mumbled, and Eric could not help but grin. George quirked one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows, and Eric felt the need to explain.

"It's funny, Daryl said the same thing just yesterday," he giggled, and George smiled. "But did you..?" Eric shook his head. "No, we did not kiss or anything, but it was a close call."

They looked at each other for a few minutes, a silent exchange taking place between them; then, George took matters in his hands. He pulled Eric out of the dark corner they had been standing in and walked him to his cabin.

He opened the door, gestured for Eric to enter the room, and offered "How about this. I play a song for you and we'll take it from there..?" And with that, he shut the door and walked over to his piano, sat down and began to play.


	7. Heal the Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric work on regaining their footing within their relationship, quite a bit of secret planning takes place, while somebody receives bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I am back into the groove! I had so much work to do, what with knitting Christmas gifts and all that jazz, that I could hardly find the time for anything, let alone write with my aching hands and wrists.  
> Triggerwarning: Brief mentions of cancer and it's treatment!

Aaron was lying in bed, looking at the ceiling. When he had gotten back from his encounter with Daryl, he had been so sure that he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but now his brain would not stop buzzing.

Plus, Eric had not made it back so far, and Aaron wondered if he and George were having their own adventure. Strangely enough, that thought did not stirr up a whirlwind of jealousy inside of him as he would have suspected it to, which led him to a lot of pondering over his and Eric's relationship.

Suddenly, he remembered how Daryl had mentioned an idea concerning his future proposal to Eric, and he realised that he would have to talk to the bartender again at some point during the last couple of days of the cruise.

As he lay there, wondering if the adventure with Daryl might have changed the dynamics between them, or if they would feel as attracted to each other as before, the door opened and a flustered looking Eric stepped into their cabin.

He paused when he saw that Aaron was already there, and the partners locked eyes, a silent conversation going on between them. After a short while, Eric stated "I'll go and clean up a bit first," and he turned to walk into their small bath.

Aaron nodded, but when Eric had reached the bathroom door, he asked in a quiet voice "So you and George did end up..." Before he could finish the sentence, Eric had nodded curtly and stepped into the bath. Wondering about his partner's reaction, Aaron waited for Eric to return.

Minutes later, Eric came out of the bath stark naked, his pale skin appearing almost luminous in the dim light, and he went to grab the shorts and shirt combo he usually wore to bed.

"Don't," Aaron whispered hoarsely from the bed, and Eric watched as his partner threw back the sheets and got up. He stepped into the room, suddenly feeling the urge to throw off his own shirt and sleep shorts. As soon as he was bare as well, he pulled Eric into a tight hug with no hindering clothes between their naked forms.

Eric was reluctant at first, but soon melted into Aaron. With his head on Aaron's shoulder, he whispered "It's so weird, Aaron. I don't know how to react anymore..."

Drifting off, he sqeezed Aaron tight, and his partner mumbled into his ear "Mh, yeah. While I was lying here, I wondered if this would change anything between us." He leaned back a bit to capture Eric's lips and kissed him very slowly.

Eric kissed him back with a passion, and Aaron's hands began to wander over Eric's alabaster-like body, causing shivers to go up and down his spine. Moaning, Eric deepened the kiss, his hands playing with Aaron's unruly hair, and when Aaron pulled away he chuckled.

"Always with the hair, huh?" He teased, a twinkle in his eye, and Eric blushed. Aaron sobered up quickly at that, and he caressed Eric's cheek as he whispered "You are so cute, blushing like this," and Eric asked with a half smile "More cute than a certain bartender..?"

Aaron's hand dropped to his side. "Eric, I..." He cleared his throat. "What are you saying exactly? Did you change your mind about..." Eric interrupted him, putting a finger on Aaron's plump lips.

"I didn't change my mind about you and Daryl. But I think that feeling a bit insecure is normal, don't you?"

Aaron let out a breath that he had not even realised he had been holding. When he opened his mouth to speak, Eric sushed him again. "Come on, Aaron," he told him, "let's just go to bed, ok?"

Aaron nodded, and when they lay cuddled up under the sheets together, Aaron whispered into Eric's hair "It's been a long, strange day, huh?"

Eric giggled. "Yep, that it was. But very exciting as well." With that being said, he turned around in Aaron's embrace and they kissed until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Over the next days, Daryl and George met a couple of times, enjoying every minute in each other's company with no strings attached. On the second to last day of the cruise, George had a drink at the bar while Daryl was working.

During a lull in the otherwise steady stream of customers, Daryl talked his idea concerning Aaron's proposal to Eric through with him, and the singer liked it a lot. He even suggested a restaurant that might be able to provide the necessary equipment – and privacy – for the occasion.

Here, their conversation was interrupted by the phone behind the bar, and Daryl went to get it since Zach was working further away from the device. "Hey Zach," Daryl called over to his younger colleague, "it's for you."

Puzzled, Zach walked over and took the phone. Daryl went to serve his customers for the duration of the call and did not see Zach's further reactions. He only heard him call over that he had to go, saw him practically fly by, and the next minute, he was gone.

Looking a question at George, who only shook his head in mild wonder, Daryl sighed deeply, not at all happy about having to work the rest of his shift alone.

Minutes later, the arrival of both Aaron and Eric was followed closely by another bartender, who had been sent to fill in for Zach, as he would be working the next shift anyway.

While Daryl and his co-worker tried to catch up, Aaron and Eric talked to George, with the latter trying to give Aaron a sign. But the cute guy did not take up on the hint, so George felt the need to come up with different tactics.

When Daryl got a second to say hi to the couple, George suggested for them all to meet over coffee after Daryl's shift, and they all agreed.

Shortly afterwards, George pulled his next stunt, whisking Eric away with some more or less made up excuse concerning notes the other musician might have left at his cabin. Before anyone could pose any questions, they had left the bar, with George calling back over his shoulder that they would meet them at the café in a few.

Daryl shook his head at George's antics, but when he looked at Aaron, he had a sudden revelation. Smacking his own forehead, he whispered "Right! He only did that so I could tell you he likes my idea and will talk to the restaurant personnel for you!"

Faced with Aaron's total lack of understanding, Daryl realised that he had forgotten to stick to the ole guideline of first things first, and hurried to clue Aaron in on his idea. But when he did, he was rewarded with the brightest smile, dawning on Aaron's handsome features.

"Daryl," he stated, "you're brilliant."

Chuckling, the bartender replied "I don't know about brilliant, but it does seem like a good idea."

* * *

After his shift was over, Daryl walked to the café with Aaron. They talked some more about his plans concerning his proposal to Eric, until Aaron came to a sudden halt. Realising that the curly haired guy was no longer walking at his side, Daryl stopped and turned around.

"Aaron," he asked, "what's wrong?"

Shaking his head, Aaron started to walk again, and when he had caught up to Daryl he explained. "Nothing is wrong, per se. It's just that I suddenly realised that I do feel different towards you now. Weird, huh?" Questioningly, he looked at Daryl, who laughed.

"Yep, it's weird alright, how those attractions work sometimes," he agreed.

When they reached the coffee shop, Daryl made to open the door for Aaron, who walked past Daryl with a puzzled look on his handsome features. With a twinkle in his mischivious eyes, Daryl murmured with just a hint of drawl "That doesn't mean of course, that I don't think you're sexy as fuck anymore."

Blushing, Aaron gawped at him over his shoulder, while Daryl continued. "Because I do." And with that, he winked and opened the door, hinting at a bow as he did so. Aaron could not help but shake his head at Daryl's antics, and he heard the bartender laugh good-naturedly behind him.

They ordered drinks at the counter before they walked over towards the table that George and Eric were already seated at. Approaching, they heard Eric asking George what kind of perfume he used.

When the singer answered that he was prone to wear Ultra Male by Gaultier, a murmur of recognition ran around the table as the other three men had a collective lightbulb moment. Of course, when they realised that they all had wondered about George's choice of perfume, laughter was accompanied with headshakes for a minute.

They talked about this and that for a while, with one topic being the end of the cruise of course, until Eric looked at Daryl and asked "What's wrong? You look worried, Daryl."

Nodding, the bartender voiced his worries about Zach, since it was rather unusual for personnel to get called away like he did. "I just hope I'll hear from him." Daryl ended his explanation in a way that made it clear to the others he would prefer to talk about something else now.

And talk they did, until Daryl made to leave for his cabin. He asked George casually "Meet you at my cabin later?"

The singer nodded. "Yes, but I will have to tend to some business first, so it will take more than a couple of minutes, I guess."

Daryl told them all he would see them later and to tell Eric bye from him, then went on his way – bumping right into Eric, who was just returning from the restrooms. Standing close to each other, Daryl briefly touched Eric's arm in a way that could be seen as casual by the innocent onlooker, but in reality was anything but.

A moment later, Daryl was out the door and Eric sat back down at the table, next to a fuming Aaron. The couple looked up and across the table at George when they heard him chuckle, and he explained.

"There you go, you two. I don't think you have anything to worry about, even with all these temptations around you," and here, he batted his lashes at Eric in a mocking manner, making the fair-skinned guy first laugh and then blush.

Aaron had a difficult time to quell his jealousy yet again, but got over it soon enough to chime in on the laughter. Mere minutes later, they all got up to go their separate ways for the time being. But before they parted, George covertly winked at Aaron, who smiled at him to indicate that he got the hint this time.

* * *

While George went to arrange everything he could for Aaron's proposal the next evening, Daryl sat on his bed, texting. He had taken a shower, and when he looked at his phone afterwards, had found a few messages from a certain hairdresser that needed to be answered.

Eventually, George arrived for a bout of afternoon sex at Daryl's cabin, and they enjoyed themselves a lot. Afterwards, they sat between the rumpled sheets on Daryl's bed and talked like they had done on a few other occasions as well.

George had noticed that Daryl was thoughtful, sometimes downright brooding, a lot, and he had already inquired on another of these occasions if the bartender's thoughts surrounded Gareth. Daryl had confirmed that, and went on to tell the singer about his and Gareth's relationship, hoping that the older man might be able to give him some advice.

George had done so, but in the end, he admitted that he might not be the best candidate when it came to handing out tips about serious relationships. Daryl had to laugh at that, and they had proceeded to talk about the Dixon brother's business plans instead.

Now though, Daryl told George about his latest bout of texting with the hairdresser, and how he was looking forward to finally see him again in person on the next cruise. He even showed him a picture when George asked, and the singer admitted without envy that Gareth was a good-looking guy.

George and Daryl agreed on getting together on last time after the proposal before they parted as the evening approached, and Daryl went to grab a bite to eat. He spent some time on deck, looking out over the ocean, deep in thought.

* * *

He had returned to his cabin mere minutes ago when a loud knock resounded through his room, and he went to see who had come a'knocking. Maintaining the usual precautions, Daryl only opened the door but a crack. As soon as he saw himself confronted with a very distraught looking Zach though, he threw the door open wide and ushered his young co-worker inside.

"What the hell happened, Zach?" He asked as he turned around after closing the door – only to have Zach barrel into him and start to sob at his shoulder as Daryl instinctively wrapped him up in his arms to hold him close. From the few broken off sentences Zach uttered between his sobs, Daryl gathered that his sister was very sick, and had fallen back into regression.

When he felt like Zach could hardly keep himself standing, Daryl guided him towards the only chair in his room, then went to get him a cold drink.

"Have you eaten anything since that call?" He asked, and when Zach shook his head, Daryl pulled some snacks out of the desk drawers and handed one to his fellow bartender, who opened it up and began to chew on some pretzels.

Daryl sat down on the floor with his back against the desk, giving Zach some time to collect himself. After a while, the young man began to tell him that his sister suffered from leukaemia. When Daryl asked him if there was a chance to find a donor for bone marrow, Zach nodded slowly.

"That's part of the reason they called me." He went on to explain in a small voice. "Before this cruise started, I got tested, and now I will get off this ship tomorrow so I can be there as soon as possible."

Daryl studied him for a moment before he asked quietly. "Are you scared?"

Zach only nodded with his eyes cast downwards, away from Daryl. But the older man was not about to let him get away with that. He took Zach's hand in his and tugged gently to get his attention. When Zach looked at him questioningly, Daryl murmured "It's fine, Zach. You are in a scary situation, and from what I heard, that procedure is no lauging matter either."

Zach, close to tears yet again, only managed a nod before Daryl continued. "But you have the chance to actually help your sister, and that is a rare gift when it comes to cancer."

Zach locked eyes with Daryl for a long moment before he nodded and said "You are right, Daryl. I should try and focus on that."

Nodding back, Daryl opened his mouth to add something, but Zach was faster. "You would do it, too, right? For your brother?" He asked, and suddenly it was Daryl who had a hard time speaking.

"Yeah," he managed, "I would." Then he laughed without humor and added "Even though he is the most annoying sum'bitch I ever knew, I love him." Minutes ticked by before he looked down and whispered "Merle 's blood. I'd do anything for him."

More time passed, in which Zach finished some more snacks, and eventually, Daryl began to laugh. When Zach asked him what was so funny, Daryl shook his head and told him "I was just thinking how I am even willing to buy a garage and work with him there, you know?"

Zach chimed into Daryl's laughter, and the older bartender smiled at him. "How about we go and grab some sandwiches for you to eat now, huh?" He suggested as he got up and made to pull Zach up as well, when his younger co-worker had a lightbulb moment.

"Wait a second," he blurted, his eyes wide, "you still owe me one for filling in for you in my freetime the other night, remember?" Now looking excited rather than scared, Zach beamed at Daryl, who was suddenly unsure if he had not liked him better sad.

Sighing, he asked Zach what he had in mind, and as soon as he had voiced that question, Zach got up as well, stepped real close and whispered "Already told you, and I'm sure you heard me, even if nobody else did."

Daryl gave him the tiniest of nods before he wrapped him up in his arms and pulled him even closer. Leaning in, he began to kiss Zach slowly, and the young man sighed as if the weight he had been carrying on his back since the phone call had at least lifted somewhat.

Pulling back to speak, Daryl told him "Well, if it makes you feel that much better, we might as well continue for a bit more, huh..?" He winked at Zach before he kissed him again slowly, but soon turned it around into a more heated act by pushing his tongue between Zach's lips and into his mouth, causing his co-worker to moan deeply.

Shortly after that, he was putty in Daryl's hands, and he took the chance to let said hands roam over his body as he continued to kiss Zach. Before things went up to the next level, Daryl pulled back to ask Zach if he was really sure that this was the right time to take their relationship to another base.

"Daryl, I will not be on the next cruise, and that one is your last. So," Zach explained with a sad look on his face, "this might be our last chance to be together. Besides," he smiled weakly, "I think I could really use a good distraction right now."

Horrified over what he had said last, Zach swallowed visibly, his eyes huge, as he waited for Daryl to lash out at him verbally – but nothing came. His older colleague only nodded in understanding, before he moved to kiss Zach's neck, one of his hands pushed up into the young man's hair.

"Good lord," Zach moaned under his breath, "I doubt that I'll ever find another lover like you, Daryl."

Chuckling, Daryl responded "Oh, I sure hope you will, Zach."

And those should be the last words that actually made any sense between them for a longer while, as they continued to kiss and touch each other, slowly making their way over to Daryl's bed. The older man gently pushed the younger down, kissed him deeply yet again, then went to get some things out of the night table.

Returning to his bed, Daryl found that in the meantime, Zach had gotten rid of his shirt and stretched out on the sheets, waiting for Daryl's return with bated breath. Smiling at him in a reassuring way, Daryl asked him how far he would want to go – only to correct himself with his next question. "I mean, did you even ever do the deed, or was it just..?"

Zach grinned rather wickedly before he answered. "Well. I found men much easier to convince to have sex with me than women." When Daryl laughed, Zach continued "Remember the first couple times we talked? How stuck up those girls I met at the clubs on the ship were?"

Grinning, Daryl nodded before he added "Yeah, but I do remember as well that you were not so sure which way the wind might blow for you. So maybe those girls just re..." Here, he got interrupted rather rudely as Zach bursted "Don't you go all reflective on me now, Daryl Dixon! Honestly." And with that, Zach rolled his eyes before he pulled him down into a searing kiss.

Sometime later, when they were both gloriously naked and it was clear that Daryl would top Zach, the older bartender leaned in to whisper into Zach's ear. "I wanna make you feel good, Zach."

"You already are, Daryl," was the immediate reply, and they smiled at each other before they kissed again. "I meant, like, blow you first," Daryl whispered against Zach's lips, and his younger colleague blushed deeply.

"I take that to mean you would like me to..?" Daryl teased as he tore open a condom wrapper. Grinning, Zach nodded, but his smile turned into a confused expression pretty soon after, as Daryl proceeded to roll the condom down on Zach's erection instead of his own.

"Just an extra precaution," Daryl explained, an apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry, I know it doesn't feel the same, but we better not risk anything, what with that procedure coming up, you know?"

Zach nodded, suddenly too choked up again to form words. Daryl smiled at him and gave his thighs a reassuring squeeze before he bowed down and took Zach into his mouth.

He observed how Zach tried to watch as he got his dick sucked in the most delightful way, but soon found that he could not keep his eyes open, overwhelmed with the sensations as Daryl gave the swollen head of his cock some special attention.

Zach's moans filled the heated air as his older lover used his experienced hand to stroke the part of Zach's cock that his mouth could not reach, and Daryl began to moan as well while he continued to blow Zach.

He used his other hand to tease at the entrance he planned on penetrating with his own straining cock soon, and when his finger slid home, Zach's eyelids flew open, his lips forming a perfect O. Daryl grinned around the cock in his mouth while he alternated push and pull to loosen Zach up, and he was able to add another digit soon.

When Zach began to push himself down on Daryl's fingers, the older man decided to wrap his own cock up. He used some more lube before he positioned himself between Zach's legs again, grabbed his legs and lined up to push the head of his rock-hard erection inside.

Arching his back, Daryl moaned deeply as his cock went deeper and deeper inside, until he was fully seated within his co-worker's tight hole. Next thing he knew, his dick got squeezed in the most delicious way, as Zach had tensed up that ring of muscle on purpose, and now Daryl found his own mouth gaping.

Soon, they had set up a powerful rhythm between them, and were chasing after both their releases, when Daryl adjusted his position to hit Zach's prostate with every push. As a result, the young man was a wanton mess in the sheets, his cock straining almost painfully, and Daryl snatched the condom off, took hold and jacked him off in time with his thrusts.

When Zach came only moments later, he had one word on his lips, and that was Daryl's name, as his older lover came with a roar, milked dry by the contractions delivered by Zach to make him cum as well.

After Daryl had pulled out and gotten rid of the condom, he fell down next to Zach, utterly spent. "Man," he murmured, still slightly out of breath minutes later, "you sure got some tricks up your sleeve."

But when Zach replied with a dead panned "Or up my ass, more like," Daryl burst out laughing, unable to help himself, and Zach chimed right in.


	8. The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron proposes to Eric - but what will his answer be..?

After he had breakfast the next day with Eric, Aaron felt increasingly nervous about his dinner plans for that last day of the cruise, and he went to do a few rounds in the pool in an attempt to calm his nerves.

As he swam for some time, memories of the night before caught up with him, and he smiled to himself as he though about the hot sex he and Eric had had when they got back to their cabin. Since Aaron's reaction to both Daryl and George Michael's show of interest concerning Eric had been hard to miss, his partner had teased him quite a bit about it on their walk away from the café.

The result had been inevitable, and left them both breathless in the process.

Climbing out of the pool, Aaron got his towel to dry off, then went to change in one of the cabins near the pool, a smile on his lips. He went to the bar for a glass of juice, only to find that Daryl had the early shift.

Aaron had the distinct feeling that Daryl's night had been a short one, and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at him when no other patrons were looking their way, making a 'do spill' gesture with his hands for good measure. But the bartender only shook his head ever so slightly, closing his tired eyes for a brief moment as he pressed the bridge of his nose with both index finger and thumb.

"Sorry," Aaron began to apologise, but Daryl held up a hand to signal for him to stop.

"It's fine, Aaron," he answered. "Zach dropped by late yesterday, that's all." Before Daryl could explain any further, Aaron interrupted him with a question.

"What did he say, was he feeling ok?" The handsome guy asked with a concerned look in his eyes.

Daryl shook his head. "Not really." He sighed before he continued to explain that Zach's sister was terribly ill and in need of a donor for bone marrow – and how it had turned out that Zach was suitable.

"I was there to see him off when he got air-lifted early this morning." The bartender ended his brief explanation.

Aaron nodded. "I really hope that the transplantation will work."

"Me too, Aaron, me too." Daryl shook his head. "Let's talk about something else, ok?"

Aaron nodded, and they spent a few more minutes going over his evening plans. "Well," Daryl said as he smiled at Aaron, "I can't wait to hear all about it from George later tonight."

"Spending one last night together, huh?" Aaron asked, winking, and Daryl laughed as he nodded.

"Yup. Might as well, don't cha think?" He confirmed, laying on his drawl on purpose, and Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Stop it already, will ya?" He gave back, sounding mock-exasperated, and they both laughed as Aaron got up to go back to his and Eric's cabin.

* * *

When the evening arrived, Aaron's nervousness had reached an all-time high. He had convinced Eric to put on a nice suit, explaining that he had made reservations at one of the finer restaurants on the ship, in order to end their vacation in a suitable manner.

Aaron had used the bathroom after Eric, and he emerged from it already clad in his dress pants and shirt. He went to slip on his shoes, then got up to finish his attire in front of the mirror included in the wardrobe of their room.

Here, he found his beautiful partner, dressed in a light grey suit, complete with vest and tie, and seeing Eric like this helped to calm him down slightly.

Aaron admired his partner's outfit while Eric helped him with his tie, realising how the light green colour of the silk shirt Eric wore with his suit emphasised his eye colour in a subtle way, with the effect that they appeared almost luminous. Aaron lost his breath for a moment, then he leaned in to kiss his partner softly.

Kissing right back, Eric moaned under his breath, and when they parted, he mumbled "You look fantastic, Aaron."

Blushing, his curly haired partner cast his eyes down and whispered "Not as good as you, Eric."

When they looked at each other again, smiling, they giggled over their behaviour, and, with the mood lightened somewhat, they went to the restaurant Aaron had chosen for the evening.

When they entered, a young man greeted them and asked if they had a reservation. Aaron talked to him briefly, and was relieved when he found that the personnel seemed to be on top of things. The waiter showed them their table, which was set up a little more privately without it being too obvious.

Aaron also noted that the piano George had told him about was arranged close to their table, but far enough away so Eric would not smell a rat – and the music would not be too loud either.

With his nerves soothed just a tad bit by all these details, Aaron held Eric's chair for him, then walked around the table and sat down himself, facing his partner. Both men studied the menu for a while. When their waiter turned up again to ask if they had chosen, they both placed their orders.

A short while later, the waiter brought the wine they had decided on over and Eric beat Aaron to a toast as he lifted his glass to say "Here is to a great evening – may it be a proper conclusion to our exciting vacation!"

As they clinked glasses, they both cast mischievous glances at each other, knowing full well that the other thought back to the flings they had during their time on the cruise.

Chatting over this and that until the first course arrived, they kept the conversation light, not wanting to burden their last evening on the cruise with more talk about other men and what they might mean to their relationship, as they had covered that topic during the last few days already.

Eric noticed that Aaron made it a point during dinner to hold his hand a lot, but he did not mind one bit, so he did not say anything, just answered the light pressure with a slight squeeze of his own fingers. During such a moment between courses, Aaron cleared his throat audibly, and Eric looked at him questioningly.

"You know," Aaron began, "this cruise was very exciting, huh?" When Eric nodded in agreement, Aaron continued. "I mean, all the stuff that happened made me think about our relationship a lot."

A flicker of fear appeared in Eric's eyes, and he sounded a tad insecure when he asked "And what conclusion did you draw from that, if any?"

Aaron topped both their glasses off before he answered. "I got to admit, I did question my commitment to you." He buried his face in his hands for a moment, and a deep sigh escaped his throat before he looked back at Eric, whose expression had turned to alarmed.

Aaron quickly continued to explain himself in an attempt to smoothe the situation over.

"Eric," here, he took his partner's hand again and squeezed it in what he hoped would be perceived as a reassuring manner, "I'm not telling you this to upset you. I'm just trying to explain my feelings."

Looking down at the table, Eric whispered "Well, so far you're doing a shitty job, Aaron."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Aaron lost his conversational footing for a minute before he continued. "It just made me realise how real my feelings for you are, and how strong our relationship has grown in all that time we've been together by now."

"Man," Eric breathed, "you had me worried for a minute there."

Here, Eric got distracted by a person who entered the restaurant, since he was able to see the door from where he sat, whereas Aaron sat with his back to it. Eric nodded in greeting, and moments later, Aaron could see out of the corner of his eye how George Michael sat down at the piano.

He opened the lid and arranged some notes he had brought along, while Aaron tugged at Eric's hand to draw his attention back to their conversation. "I wanted our last evening on this cruise to be special, because I found that you are the one for me."

Here, he looked over to George, who had been waiting for that cue and began to play a slow number.

Eric's eyes grew wide when he realised that Aaron had set this up, and he leaned back in his chair with his mouth slack in astonishment as soon as he recognised the song when the first couple chords of 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face' reached his ears.

They held hands during the song, and when the last notes had been played, they kept quiet for a long minute, only looking at each other, while George got up, turned a different corner and sat down at another table, almost out of sight, waiting.

Aaron withdrew his hand from Eric's and got up, took one step to the side and knelt down next to their table. He pulled a small box from the pocket of his suit jacket, opened it, and placed it in front of Eric, whose cheeks had gotten tinged during Aaron's actions.

Looking deep into Eric's eyes, Aaron began to speak with a slight tremble to his voice, giving away his own nervousness. "Eric Raleigh, I love you more than anything in this world." Here, he cleared his throat discreetly before he carried on. "Would you do me the extraordinary honour to marry me?"

Later on that evening, a very moved George Michael would tell Daryl how it had appeared as if every person in the restaurant had held his or her breath, awaiting Eric's answer, which came after just a few seconds.

"Yes," he whispered, "I do."

Aaron got up and pulled Eric out of his chair so he could wrap him up in his arms, and as the newly engaged stood wrapped up not only in each other but in a strong turmoil of emotions as well, George walked back to the piano to play another quiet number for them.

Both Aaron and Eric swayed to the music together, holding each other tight, and when the song was over Aaron slipped the ring on Eric's finger before he leaned in for a tender kiss, the applause from the other guests and staff only registering like a sound drifting over from far away.

The couple went to sit back down at their table to have one last drink before they left, when George walked over to congratulate them. Aaron took the opportunity to thank him for his help, and the surprise song he added on his own accord. But George only winked at them. "That's what friends are for, right?" He smiled, and Aaron told him to say hi to Daryl later.

"Wait," Eric spoke up, his suspicions rising, "does this mean that Daryl was in on this as well?"

Aaron and George chuckled over Eric's amazement, and George explained that it had been Daryl's idea to get the musician involved in the first place. Shortly afterwards, George took his leave, but not without handing them one of his cards.

Their waiter approached to serve them a complimentary dessert, wishing them the best for their marriage on behalf of the staff. When they had finished their dinner, Aaron thanked the staff for their arrangements, and paid the bill, including a good tip.

When he and Eric were on their way back to their cabin, they decided to take a detour to look at the stars for a while. Seated in some loungers on deck, they held hands and enjoyed the silence – until Eric suddenly popped up into a sitting position and exclaimed "Wait a second! Does this mean that we have to ask Daryl and George to be our best men..?!"

 


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cruise ends, and Merle Dixon has to shake his head once again over his younger brother's adventures.

Since Daryl and George had parted around midnight, the last morning of the cruise found him relatively well rested. He packed up all his gear, then went to get his poker winnings, making a mental note to visit the bank and deposit the money as soon as possible.

Looking forward to see his brother's face when he would tell him about everything that had happened, Daryl went through the end-of-cruise motions in a good mood. He got off the ship after the guests had disembarked, but found both Aaron and Eric waiting for him – accompanied by a sassy young woman with pretty, dark brown eyes and hair that looked familiar to Daryl.

"Tara!" He called, meeting her fist with his in a heartfelt bump, "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

She beamed at him. "When I heard that Aaron and Eric had booked a cruise as well, I had to come and meet them. Besides," she added, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "I just had to know if Eric said yes!"

The tall guy with the tizian-red hair laughed as he pulled her close to himself in a hug, kissing the top of her head. "Tara and I go way back," he explained to Daryl, who nodded.

"Speaking of which," Daryl began, "congratulations to you both! George told me all about it..." Aaron hugged Daryl briefly and thanked him for his help.

Tara looked at Eric. "George? THAT George..?" When Eric nodded, she started to giggle, which turned into outright laughter after Aaron commented that there was a lot more to the story than that, sending a meaningful look first to Eric, than to Daryl.

"Daryl?" Tara asked, disbelief clearly audible in her voice. "Does that mean that you..? No way. You are joking, guys – right?" She looked from one to the other, but saw herself confronted with serious expressions all around.

Shaking her head, Tara told Daryl "We have to meet for a drink sometime, Daryl." The bartender nodded, and they exchanged phone numbers, then told each other goodbye.

"Let me know if you need a best man, a'ight?" Daryl said to Aaron and Eric with a wink before he turned around to walk over to his waiting brother, when he thought he heard Eric's voice behind him, whispering to Aaron "See, I told you!"

* * *

Still laughing, Daryl hugged Merle, then proceeded to throw his luggage into the back of the truck before both Dixons hopped into the front. Soon they were on their way, and Daryl told Merle to stop at the bank, which made the older brother look at him sideways.

"What for, baby brother?" He asked. "You made so much in tips this time?"

"Nope," Daryl answered, then proceeded to tell Merle all about how he had set out one night to play the tables for a while and ended up winning a sizeable sum. They happened to pass a diner at that point, and Merle abruptly pulled into the parking lot, told Daryl to stay in the car, then went inside, an almost shocked expression on his face.

Wondering about his brother's antics, the bartender waited, when Merle reappeared with his arms laden with coffee and some food to go. He got back into the car, handed Daryl some stuff and took a sip from his own coffee, before he spoke again.

"Daryl," he began, his voice suspiciously unsteady, "does that mean..?" And he looked at his younger brother, a hopeful expression on his rough features.

Between bites of food and sips of coffee, Daryl explained how he had talked to several people about how to get into a business, and that his poker winnings did indeed make the whole undertaking much more realistic, seeing as neither Dixon had any savings to speak of.

When he finished, and they had eaten all the food, Merle leaned back in his seat, looking off into the distance. Daryl waited patiently, and after a couple of minutes, his brother looked at him and asked "So you did decide to buy the garage then? Work with me there?"

As soon as Daryl had nodded, he found himself in a bear hug, unable to breathe. When Merle let go of him again, Daryl laughed, and his older brother chimed right in. "Man," he said, sounding relieved, "I am so glad to hear that. I gotta admit, I was worried while you were gone..."

Here, his demanor took a turn, and he glared at Daryl. "Speaking of which, Dare, you need to sort out your cop boys! Man, I swear." He closed his eyes, rubbing over his face with both hands.

As Merle started the car and backed out of the parking lot to continue their ride home, Daryl waited for Merle to continue.

"You see, I came home one night and that Shane person was waiting for me." Merle shook his head. "Apparently, he had texted you, but you hadn't gotten back to him and he seemed desperate. So, he asked me to please let him tag along when I picked you up. Can you believe that?"

Sighing, Merle looked over at Daryl. "I'm asking you, Dare – do I look like the kind of person to go to for advice in matters of the heart?! Seriously!" He shook his head again, a look of utter disbelief at Shane's sheer nerve on his face, while Daryl had the hardest time not to laugh out loud.

"Please, make sure to call him soon and hand out some good advice, ok?" Merle pleaded. "All that unresolved gay stuff is beginning to freak me out!"

Now Daryl could no longer hold it in, and his laughter filled the cab of the truck for some time, much to Merle's chagrin.

"Well," he added slyly, "speaking of which – how about Gareth, huh? Any news on that front, little brother?"

"Oh," Daryl stated nonchalantly, "we had some interesting text exchanges, and a rather long phone call..." He cast an innocent glance over at Merle, who appeared as if he would have liked to clap both hands over his ears, had it not been for him being the driver.

"Thank you, that's quite enough," he barked, but Daryl only laughed again before he added "Would you like to know what else happened on the cruise..?"

After some more back and forth bantering, Daryl managed to tell Merle about Aaron, Eric and George, of course without all the sexual details. They had reached their small hometown by then, and Merle parked the car at the bank before he turned around to squint at Daryl. "Musician? As in, that guy from the eighties..?"

His younger brother had already begun to giggle, but now he broke out into full blown laughter, trying to explain at the same time how he had asked Eric almost the same thing. But of course, he had to try again when his laughter had subsided some.

Walking into the bank, Merle asked as an afterthought of sorts "What was that band called again, Whoop or something? They had the weirdest songs, didn't they?"

Grinning, Daryl told him that the band was actually called Wham, but that yes, they did have some pretty weird songs.

By then, they had reached one of the counters, and Daryl deposited his poker winnings into his bank account. He also made an appointment for some time after his last cruise, then he and Merle turned to walk out again.

When they got back outside, they spotted a police cruiser in the parking lot, and Daryl walked over to say hi to both Shane and Rick, while Merle only waved at them before he got back into his truck.

Daryl, hoping that their first meeting after Rick's own cruise experience would not be too awkward, had forgotten to squeeze the guys good nature into the equation, and so he was pleasantly surprised when Rick gave him a half hug and asked him if he had just gotten back.

While looking over Rick's shoulder, Daryl had locked eyes with Shane, whose facial expression practically screamed for help, and the bartender smiled inwardly, even though he felt sorry for the dark haired cop.

He stepped away from Rick and answered his question, then suggested for them to meet on his days off sometime, to which Rick nodded. Daryl had walked around the cruiser to hug Shane as well, and the desperate cop used the opportunity to whisper urgently into Daryl's ear.

The bartender shut him right off, whispering back that he had a plan and would clue him in as soon as possible. Rick, oblivious to their short conversation, suggested to text each other to determine a time and day, and they all agreed on that.

Bidding both cops goodbye, Daryl went over to Merle's truck, casting a last look over his shoulder at them, his hand already up to wave – but he found only Shane looking back at him, as Rick had already gotten back into the cruiser.

Using the opportunity, Daryl changed the wave into a call me gesture, and Shane looked almost ridiculously relieved. As Daryl climbed back into the truck, he shook his head in wonder, and Merle cast a questioning look at him.

"Yes, Merle," Daryl sighed, "I did arrange to talk to them."

"No need to roll your eyes at me, little brother," Merle gave back. After a minute he added, albeit reluctantly. "Thank you, though. I really appreciate it."

Daryl nodded, and the Dixon brothers started to make some plans for Daryl's last shore leave, when the song on the radio changed. As soon as they recognised Club Tropicana by none other than Wham!, both Dixons totally lost it, and had to regain their breaths for a couple of minutes before they could continue their drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment on your way out!  
> Next up: another interlude, so stay tuned.

**Author's Note:**

> Please drop me a comment to let me know how you liked the story, comments keep the writers going and are much appreciated.


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